April 4, 2005 - Israel Expresses
Sorrow at Passing of Pope
Consulate General of Israel to New England
Consulate Update
The State of Israel
expresses deep sorrow at the passing of Pope John Paul II. On
behalf of the government and people of Israel, Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom extends his condolences
to the Catholic Church and to the flock of Pope John Paul II:
This is a great
loss, first and foremost for the Catholic Church and its hundreds
of millions of believers, but also for humanity as a whole. I
had the privilege of meeting with His Holiness twice, and I was
deeply impressed by his insights and his unique humanity. The
State of Israel joins all those who mourn his passing.
Pope John Paul II led the Catholic Church
towards closer relations with Israel and the Jewish people. Through
his public and religious work, he promoted inter-faith understanding
and dialogue, with a willingness to address the past and a profound
determination to build a future of understanding and brotherhood
between all faiths. Under his auspices, full relations were
established between Israel and the Holy See, a joint effort crowned
with success at the signing of the Foundation Agreement between
the two parties on December 30, 1993. The Pope also appointed
a special bishop for Hebrew-speaking Catholics, Jean-Baptiste Gourion,
who served as the Catholic bishop in Israel.
The Pope was committed to the fight against
anti-Semitism, which he saw as a sin against God and humanity. On
his travels around the world, he always made sure to meet with
the Jewish community in every place. John Paul II was the
first Pope in history to visit a synagogue (Rome, 1986), where
he referred to the Jewish people, for the first time, as "our
elder brothers."
The Pope made a historic pilgrimage to
Israel in March 2000. Prior to this visit, the Pope asked
the Jewish people for forgiveness for the crimes that have been
perpetrated against it in the name of the Church. He later
wrote that message on a piece of paper that he placed between the
rocks of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, during his visit
to Jerusalem. The Pope=92s visit to Israel, together with
tens of thousands of pilgrims, also included a visit to the Yad
Vashem Holocaust Memorial as well as meetings with Israel=92s President
and Prime Minister.
Israel and the Jewish
people join the entire world in mourning the loss of Pope John Paul
II, a true champion of reconciliation and brotherhood between the
faiths.
Consulate General of Israel
to New England
Department of Public Diplomacy: information@boston.mfa.gov.il
Visit our website for more information: www.israelboston.org
