Pope Francis sends greetings to International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations

1 Jul 2022


In a message to the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations  (IJCIC) Pope Francis emphasized the importance of the encounter between Christians and Jews and their efforts in working together in the modern world. “Interreligious dialogue is a sign of the times,” Pope Francis affirmed, adding that he considers it “a providential sign, in the sense that God Himself, in His wise plan, has inspired, in religious leaders and in many others, the desire to encounter and come to know one another in a way respectful of religious differences.”

Pope Francis made these remarks in a greeting dated 30 June prepared for his meeting scheduled with the IJCIC, which was cancelled due to health reasons. His written text was conveyed to the Committee by Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews (CRRJ).

The CRRJ and IJCIC engage in the official forum for ongoing dialogue through the International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee (ILC). The last meeting of the ILC took place in Rome in 2019 on the theme “People, Ideas and Boundaries on the Move”. 

In October 2020 the CRRJ and IJCIC exchanged messages in a joint press release to mark the 55th anniversary of “Nostra aetate (no.4)”.

 

(Archival photo: Pope Francis with Cardinal Kurt Koch and Rabbi Noam Marans with other members of the American Jewish Committee, 8 March 2019 © Vatican Media)