(Vatican Radio) In a meeting with a delegation from an international Jewish human
rights organization on Thursday, the Pope stressed that the problem of intolerance
must be confronted.
Several representatives from the U.S.-based Simon Wiesenthal
Centre met with Pope Francis in the Sala Clementina. He acknowledged the mission of
the centre, which is to fight every form of racism, intolerance and anti-Semitism,
to preserve the memory of the Shoah and to promote mutual understanding between cultures.
The Pope remarked that he has had several occasions in the past few weeks
to restate “the Church’s condemnation of all forms of anti-Semitism.”
He added
that he wanted to emphasize that “the problem of intolerance must be confronted in
all its forms”.
“Wherever any minority is persecuted and marginalized because
of its religious convictions or ethnic identity,” he said, “the well-being of society
as a whole is endangered and each one of us must feel affected.”
He made reference
“with particular sadness” to the “suffering, marginalization and very real persecutions,
which not a few Christians are undergoing in various countries”.
He called
on everyone to combine their efforts in favour of “a culture of encounter, respect,
understanding and mutual forgiveness”, and underlined that education is of particular
importance in the creation of such a culture.
He said this education should
not only focus on the transmission of facts but on “the handing on of a living witness”,
which presupposes “the establishment of a communion of life” and “a covenant with
the coming generations, which is always open to truth”.
He said young people
must not only be conveyed a knowledge of the history of Jewish-Christian dialogue,
its challenges and progress, but above all a passion for encounter and for coming
to know the other, promoting active and responsible participation of the young.
And
it is here that a shared commitment to the service of society and to the weakest holds
great importance, he added.
He concluded by encouraging the Centre to transmit
to young people “the importance of working together to reject walls and to build bridges”
between the two cultures and faith traditions.
Listen to the report
by Laura Ieraci:
Below is
the official translation of the Pope’s original Italian text:
Dear Friends,
I
welcome this Delegation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish
organization for the defense of human rights. I am aware that this meeting had been
planned some time ago by my predecessor Benedict XVI, whom you asked to visit and
who remains in our affectionate thoughts and prayers.
These meetings are a
concrete sign of the respect and esteem which you have for the Bishops of Rome, for
which I am grateful. They are likewise an expression of the appreciation of the Pope
for the task to which you have dedicated yourselves: to combat every form of racism,
intolerance and anti-Semitism, to keep alive the memory of the Shoah, and to promote
mutual understanding through education and commitment to the good of society.
In
these last few weeks, I have reaffirmed on more than one occasion the Church’s condemnation
of all forms of anti-Semitism. Today I wish to emphasize that the problem of intolerance
must be confronted in all its forms: wherever any minority is persecuted and marginalized
because of its religious convictions or ethnic identity, the wellbeing of society
as a whole is endangered and each one of us must feel affected. With particular sadness
I think of the sufferings, the marginalization and the very real persecutions which
not a few Christians are undergoing in various countries. Let us combine our efforts
in promoting a culture of encounter, respect, understanding and mutual forgiveness.
For
the building of such a culture, I would like to highlight especially the importance
of education, not only as the transmission of facts, but as the handing on of a living
witness. This presupposes the establishment of a communion of life, a covenant with
the coming generations, which is always open to truth. To the young, we must be able
to convey not only a knowledge of the history of Jewish-Catholic dialogue about past
difficulties, but also an awareness of the progress made in recent decades. Above
all we must be able to transmit a passion for meeting and coming to know others, promoting
an active and responsible involvement of our young people. It is here that commitment
to the service of society and to those most in need acquires a special value. I encourage
you to continue to pass on to the young the importance of working together to reject
walls and build bridges between our cultures and our faith traditions. May we go
forward with trust, courage and hope! Shalom!