The Pope in the Middle East: Man of Dialogue

Certainly there exists a common message, and there will be an occasion to present it and, despite the difference of origins, we have common roots (…) Islam was also born in an environment where Judaism and various branches of Christianity, Judeo-Christianity, Antiochian-Byzantine-Christianity were present, and all these circumstances are reflected in the tradition of the Quran. In this way we have much in common from our origins, in the faith in the one God. For that, it is important on one hand to maintain dialogue with the two parts – with the Jews and with Islam – and as well a trilateral dialogue.[9]

In a world in which Islam is often portrayed as being totally other, the Pope has insisted that Islam has much in common with Judaism and Christianity. This affirmation, axiomatic for Vatican II’s Nostrae Aetate, and affirmed by Pope Benedict, still has not penetrated all sectors of the Church. In Amman the Pope affirmed:

Muslims and Christians, precisely because of the burden of our common history so often marked by misunderstanding, must today strive to be known and recognised as worshippers of God faithful to prayer, eager to uphold and live by the Almighty’s decrees, merciful and compassionate, consistent in bearing witness to all that is true and good, and ever mindful of the common origin and dignity of all human persons, who remain at the apex of God’s creative design for the world and for history.[10]

Furthermore, he pointed out: ‘Muslims worship God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, who has spoken to humanity. And as believers in the one God we know that human reason is itself God’s gift and that it soars to its highest plane when suffused with the light of God’s truth.’[11]

During the visit to Israel, Pope Benedict was careful to address some of the issues that had caused controversy with Jews in the past but he was also calmly insistent on the particular context of the Church he was visiting, the Church of Israel, where Christians have the unique position of living as a tiny minority within a large and powerful Jewish majority. It was evident that he had not forgotten that the majority of Christians in Israel are Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, members of a people who are still struggling for their rights. The Holy Land is not Europe and, never forgetting the pastoral dimension of his visit to the Christians in the Holy Land, the Pope disappointed those who sought more forceful affirmations of the major themes of Jewish-Christian dialogue in Europe.

Addressing the subject of Catholic relations with the Jews, the Pope explained that overcoming centuries of difference, distrust and even hostility will take much wisdom and patience. As we learn to respect and honour what we have in common, the Church and the Jews must also discover how to respect and honour where we differ. ‘We should do everything to learn the language of the other, and it seems to me that we have made great progress.’[12] Inter-religious dialogue often seems smoother when we focus on our commonalities but the challenge is to promote dialogue when our differences are most evident. This is a formidable challenge that still lies before us.

While still in Jordan, as he looked into ‘the Promised Land’ from Mount Nebo, the Pope reminded his listeners of ‘the inseparable bond between the Church and the Jewish people’[13] – a link that passes through a shared spiritual and religious heritage: that of the Biblical tradition. The special place that the Jewish people have for the Church is tied to the Scriptures that Jews and Christians share and the spiritual-religious heritage that devolves from them. Face to face with the Jewish people, the Church is reminded of her own roots. However, this was also an important message for Muslims (and all Arabs): the dialogue with the Jews cannot be compromised by the difficult political situation between Israel and the Arab world in the past decades.

Following in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II, Benedict made two highly symbolic pilgrimages: one to the Western Wall, where he placed a written prayer on a note into the Wall; and the other to Yad VaShem, the memorial to the victims of the Shoah. It was at these two places that the Pope could be present to Jews in their spiritual-religious and in their historical-national dimension. Whereas at the Wall, the Pope simply read Psalm 122 in Latin, at Yad VaShem he tried to put words on the silence that is imposed by the horrific weight of history: ‘a silence to remember, a silence to pray, a silence to hope.’ [14] In his words, the Pope again emphasised the importance of memory and vigilance: ‘May the names of these victims never perish! May their suffering never be denied, belittled or forgotten! And may all people of goodwill remain vigilant in rooting out from the heart of man anything that could lead to tragedies such as this!’[15]

Immediately upon arrival in Israel, the Pope had acknowledged addressed the significance of the Shoah. He insisted that the Church is committed to remembering the fighting and victims, side by side with the Jewish people, of all manifestations of anti-Semitism:

I will have the opportunity to honour the memory of the six million Jewish victims of the Shoah, and to pray that humanity will never again witness a crime of such magnitude. Sadly, anti-Semitism continues to rear its ugly head in many parts of the world. This is totally unacceptable. Every effort must be made to combat anti-Semitism wherever it is found, and to promote respect and esteem for the members of every people, tribe, language and nation across the globe.[16]

Some expected the tone of a mea culpa in the Pope’s words on the Shoah, both as a German and as head of the Catholic Church. Instead, what the Pope gave us was a resounding condemnation of anti-Semitism, the determination to fight it and the continuing commitment not to forget the victims. Benedict came as head of a universal Church and not simply as a European or a German. Specifically, he came into a context where his faithful are a small and embattled group struggling to find their place in a society that is predominantly Jewish. In this reality, he was determined to underline the universal message of the Shoah – may it never happen again to anyone; may we learn from it to build a better world together.

Perhaps with some of the recent controversies between Jews and Catholics in mind, at his meeting with the Chief Rabbis of Israel at the Chief Rabbinate, the Pope issued a plea for trust in the ongoing dialogue between Jews and Catholics.

Trust is undeniably an essential element of effective dialogue. Today I have the opportunity to repeat that the Catholic Church is irrevocably committed to the path chosen at the Second Vatican Council for a genuine and lasting reconciliation between Chris
tians and Jews. As the Declaration Nostra Aetate makes clear, the Church continues to value the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews and desires an ever deeper mutual understanding and respect through biblical and theological studies as well as fraternal dialogues.[17]

The Pope came back to the reflection on the spiritual heritage that the Church shares with Judaism in his final words at Tel Aviv Airport. Recalling that he had planted an olive tree with the Israeli President, Shimon Peres, at the latter’s residence, he transferred the meaning of the olive tree from the political (a symbol of peace) to the spiritual

The olive tree, as you know, is an image used by Saint Paul to describe the very close relations between Christians and Jews. Paul describes in his Letter to the Romans how the Church of the Gentiles is like a wild olive shoot, grafted onto the cultivated olive tree which is the People of the Covenant (cf. 11:17-24). We are nourished from the same spiritual roots. We meet as brothers, brothers who at times in our history have had a tense relationship, but now are firmly committed to building bridges of lasting friendship.[18]

Some interfaith activists and in particular some Jewish commentators expressed disappointment at the Pope’s declarations. This disappointment seemed often tinged with rancour concerning the Pope being a German or being a theologian of a conservative bent. In extreme cases, it seemed that opinions had been formed before the Pope even arrived. Some of the disappointment was a result of the constant comparisons with Pope John Paul II and his highly personal and charismatic approach. Alongside the images of Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict seemed distant and unmoved. However, some of the disappointment was also due to Pope Benedict’s insistence on the separation between the relationship with Jews (spiritual, religious) and the attitude to the State of Israel (political), repeating a coherent message about the patrimony that Jews and Christians share without ignoring the obligations of justice and peace. He reminded one and all that religion must be a factor that contributes to justice, peace, pardon, reconciliation and the respect for human rights within the concrete situation of the Holy Land, particularly with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This message is not always a popular one, especially when these values are not at the very epicentre of inter-religious dialogue.

The great importance of the inter-religious dimension of the visit should not obscure the ecumenical dimension, particularly the ongoing dialogue with the Churches of the East. This visit was the occasion to meet the heads of all the non-Catholic Churches of the Holy Land; however, prominence was given particularly to the two venerable traditions within the Church of Jerusalem: the Greek Orthodox and the Armenian. The Pope’s exhortation was for the leaders to work together in order to strengthen the faith of the Christians within the difficult situation of the Holy Land: ‘The fundamental priority of every Christian leader is the nurturing of the faith of the individuals and families entrusted to his pastoral care. This common pastoral concern will ensure that your regular meetings are marked by the wisdom and fraternal charity necessary to support one another and to engage with both the joys and the particular difficulties which mark the lives of your people.’[19] Finally, it needs to be pointed out that wherever Pope Benedict went ordinary non-Catholic Christians and their bishops and leaders came out to welcome him and pray with him, his very presence inspiring us to ever-greater unity.

Fr David Neuhaus SJ is Patriarchal Vicar for Hebrew Speaking Catholics at the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, www.catholic.co.il