EIGHT years ago, when Pope John Paul II prayed at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, there seemed to be a new level of trust between Roman Catholics and Jews. But so heavy is the historical baggage that the relationship still creaks under the strain.
The latest problem is a nasty flare-up in an old argument over the role of Pius XII, who was pope during the second world war. Was he a hero who deserves to be beatified, or was he, as some Jews say, guilty of neglectful silence?
On October 19th Shimon Peres, Israel’s 85-year-old president, tried to draw a line under the row. “We have reason to believe that Pius XII didn’t do enough to save Jewish life,” he said, speaking for many Israelis. But he added: “I don’t want to pass judgment. We don’t want to make false accusations. If there is evidence [that he helped persecuted Jews] then it should be checked carefully.” And he reissued Israel’s invitation to the present pope, Benedict XVI. “The visit to the holy country is nothing to do with anger or disputes. It’s holy all the time, it is holy for all of us.”
No comments:
Post a Comment