Pope Francis receives delegation of the American Jewish Committee

11 Mar 2019

A delegation of 35 leaders of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) led by President John Shapiro met with Pope Francis during a private audience. In his address, His Holiness stressed that “that for a Christian any form of antisemitism is a rejection of one’s own origins, a complete contradiction”. He continued, “In the fight against hatred and antisemitism, an important tool is interreligious dialogue, aimed at promoting a commitment to peace, mutual respect, the protection of life, religious freedom, and the care of creation. Jews and Christians, moreover, share a rich spiritual heritage, which allows us to do much good together”.

Pope Francis reflected that at a time when the West is exposed to a “depersonalizing secularism”, believers need to cooperate in “making divine love more visible for humanity, and to carry out concrete gestures of closeness to counter the growth of indifference”. Lastly, he spoke of the role of young people and the importance of the formation of future generations in Jewish–Catholic dialogue, concluding that “the shared commitment in the area of educating the young is also an effective means of countering violence and opening new paths of peace with all”.

The delegation also met with representatives of the Holy See, including the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews.