VATICAN CITY (AP) 鈥 Jewish leaders got up-front seats at Pope Leo XIV鈥檚 inauguration Mass. An American rabbi there and other representatives saw that as a hopeful sign for an upswing of Catholic-Jewish relations under the first U.S.-born pontiff, after a strained relationship with his predecessor.
With rhetoric and attacks in various countries, as well as mounting international criticism of Israel's conduct in its , the moral voice of the leader of the world鈥檚 1.4 billion Catholics can make a real difference, they said.
鈥淚t can save Jewish lives,鈥 Rabbi Noam Marans, the American Jewish Committee鈥檚 director of interreligious affairs, told The Associated Press.
Wearing his kippah, he attended at St. Peter鈥檚 Square only days after he received a letter from newly elected Leo highlighting the importance of dialogue and cooperation.
鈥淣o pope had ever written to an American rabbi in this way,鈥 Marans said. 鈥淭he success of the post-Council Jewish-Catholic relations is demonstrated better in the United States than anywhere else.鈥
It was 60 years ago that the Second Vatican Council issued the proclamation 鈥淣ostra Aetate鈥 (Latin for 鈥渋n our time鈥). It marked a turning point in the 2,000-year-old history of two major religions by focusing on the shared heritage between Judaism and Christianity, rejecting the centuries-old belief of Jewish guilt in the killing of Christ, and denouncing antisemitism as a sin.
Since then, the Vatican has sought to bolster relations with other faiths, including Judaism. In 2016, Pope Francis became the third pope , after a Vatican declaration that the church didn鈥檛 support official efforts to convert Jews.
But Francis also dismayed numerous Jewish leaders with some of his remarks about that followed the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas militants. More than 1,200 people were killed then, mostly civilians, and 250 abducted, with dozens still believed held in Gaza. More than 53,000 people there have been killed in the war since, according to Palestinian authorities.
There was widespread anger over a from Francis on the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack that expressed empathy with the people of Gaza, but never mentioned Israel or the Jewish people.
A month later, news broke that Francis in an interview had to determine if Israel鈥檚 attacks in Gaza constitute genocide.
鈥淚t was painful to hear from the pope the word genocide or even suspicion of genocide,鈥 said Noemi Di Segni, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, which represents Italy's 25,000 Jews. 鈥淚t really devastates us, and a crisis was created.鈥
Di Segni said she also received a letter from Leo, just days into his papacy. It made her hopeful, she said, that he would make the Vatican鈥檚 official position of dialogue with and respect for Jews trickle down to the reality of small Italian parishes, where the faithful might never have interacted with a Jewish person.
Centuries of discrimination when Jews were made to live in ghettoes, including in Rome 鈥 often at the instigation of the church 鈥 have left vivid memories in Jewish communities across Europe, as has the trauma of the Holocaust.
Interfaith relations have been smoother in the United States, several faith leaders said, both at the official and daily levels. In December, the American Jewish Committee and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops jointly published a booklet to combat antisemitism.
In the United States and Israel, Jewish faith leaders said they were encouraged by Leo鈥檚 commitment to interreligious dialogue. They also praised his mention of the hostages in his first , when he also called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
In the blessing following his inaugural Mass, Leo called out 鈥渢hose who suffer because of wars鈥 in Gaza, Myanmar and Ukraine 鈥 no mention of the Jewish hostages.
鈥淭he suffering of innocent non-combatants in any conflict is a tragedy,鈥 Marans said after the Mass, echoing sentiments from other Jewish leaders who expect Leo to strike a different tone than Francis even while maintaining political criticism.
鈥淥ur hope is to return to the direct, frank dialogue between friends that can take place behind closed doors,鈥 said Rabbi Joshua Stanton, who oversees interfaith initiatives for Jewish Federations of North America. He added that Pope Leo 鈥渋s known for working well with people quietly.鈥
The trickiest question is how the dialogue with Jewish faith leaders will translate into a dialogue between the Holy See and Israel, especially over the ongoing war. The two states only established diplomatic relations in 1993.
For many Jews around the world 鈥 regardless of religious observance, politics and opinions about the Israeli government 鈥 the state of Israel, and its security, are .
Francis sometimes failed to see that, said Jerusalem-based Rabbi David Rosen, who was invited to attend Leo鈥檚 inauguration Mass and has long worked with the Vatican on interreligious affairs.
鈥淔rancis was a great friend, but not always considerate,鈥 he added, while Leo has shown 鈥済reater sensitivity鈥 in his statements about the war.
Israel鈥檚 ambassador to the Holy See, Yaron Sideman, said relations with Francis had become 鈥渧ery complicated,鈥 but he met Leo on Friday alongside the rest of the diplomatic corps and praised the pope鈥檚 commitment to engage.
鈥淲e both stand for something much bigger than geopolitical entities,鈥 Sideman added of the Israeli and Vatican states. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 separate dialogue with Jewish people and the state where half of Jewish people live. This is where it needs to be fundamentally restructured.鈥
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AP journalist David Crary in New York contributed to this report.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
