• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Elizabeth Scalia
          • Michael R. Heinlein
          • Effie Caldarola
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Mark Viviano
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
        • CR Radio
        • Protagonistas de Fe
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe
Pope Francis greets Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi of Rome, during an audience with a delegation from the Conference of European Rabbis, accompanied by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Nov. 6, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Faith is a call to dialogue and peacemaking, pope tells rabbis

November 6, 2023
By Cindy Wooden
OSV News
Filed Under: Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, Feature, News, Vatican, World News

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christians and Jews are called to bear witness to God’s word through dialogue and “to his peace with our actions,” Pope Francis said in a message to the Conference of European Rabbis.

The pope welcomed the delegation to the library of the Apostolic Palace Nov. 6, but told them he wasn’t feeling well so he would hand them a copy of his prepared speech rather than read it to them.

The director of the Vatican press office, Matteo Bruni, said later that “Pope Francis has a bit of a cold and a long day of audiences. He wanted to greet the European rabbis individually and for that reason he handed them his address. Otherwise, the pope’s activities continue as normal.”

In the text, Pope Francis told the rabbis, “My first thought and prayer goes, above all else, to everything that has happened in the last few weeks” with the Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s response in Gaza.

“Yet again violence and war have erupted in that land blessed by the Most High, which seems continually assailed by the vileness of hatred and the deadly clash of weapons,” the pope’s text said. “The spread of antisemitic demonstrations, which I strongly condemn, is also of great concern.”

Amid “the darkness of conflict,” he wrote, those who believe in God “are called to build fraternity and open paths of reconciliation for all and before all, in the name of the Almighty.”

“Not weapons, not terrorism, not war, but compassion, justice and dialogue are the fitting means for building peace,” Pope Francis wrote.

The life of faith, he said, is a life of dialogue — with God and among the people whom God created.

“The Word of the Most High is the light that illumines the paths of life: it directs our own steps to the search for our neighbor, to acceptance and to patience; certainly not to the brusque passion of vengeance and the folly of bitter hatred,” he continued. “How important it is, therefore, for us believers to be witnesses of dialogue!”

“To become builders of peace, we are called to be builders of dialogue, not only with our own strengths and abilities, but with the help of the Almighty,” the pope wrote.

For Christians, dialogue with Judaism is especially important “because we have Jewish roots. Jesus was born and lived as a Jew,” the pope said. “We need Judaism to understand ourselves better.”

Pope Francis noted that when St. John Paul II made his historic visit to the synagogue of Rome, he addressed members of the Jewish community as “our beloved brothers” and “our older brothers.”

“Therefore, one could say that ours is more than an interreligious dialogue,” he said. “It is a family dialogue.”

Read More Ecumenism & Interfaith Relations

Filled with hope, Christians know cries of the innocent will be heard, pope says

Nicene Creed presents ‘the mystery that unites’ Christians, pope says

Council of Nicaea anniversary is call to Christian unity, speakers say

Pope, Romanian bishops, Jewish officials pay tribute to martyred bishop

Bishop calls for prayer after deadly attack outside DC’s Capital Jewish Museum

Pope reaffirms commitment to ecumenical, interreligious dialogue

Copyright © 2023 OSV News

Print Print

Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this
Share
Share on LinkedIn

Primary Sidebar

Cindy Wooden

Click here to view all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

| MOST POPULAR |

  • Prince of Peace merges with St. Francis de Sales in Harford County

  • Detroit archbishop fires theologians Ralph Martin, Eduardo Echeverría from seminary

  • Archdiocese of Baltimore offers resources for parishes to assist migrants

  • Construction underway on new north addition to St. Joseph’s Nursing Home 

  • A butterfly lands on a flowering bush with purple blossoms A Miracle for a Baby in Rhode Island (and for all of us)

| Latest Local News |

Radio Interview: The true story of ‘Xavier Rynne’

Archdiocese of Baltimore offers resources for parishes to assist migrants

Third annual gun buyback scheduled for Aug. 9

Driver arrested after crashing into entrance of Esperanza Center

Construction underway on new north addition to St. Joseph’s Nursing Home 

| Latest World News |

Massacre ‘of faithful in the house of God’ in Congolese Catholic church leaves 43 dead

Pope welcomes young people to Rome for jubilee, thanks media for promoting truth

Cardinal Tomasi: Religious communities can play key roles in nuclear disarmament

Warsaw archbishop ‘devastated, crushed’ by priest’s arrest in brutal murder of homeless man

Jubilee of Youth chance to celebrate hope, fraternity in world at war, panel says

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • Radio Interview: The true story of ‘Xavier Rynne’
  • Massacre ‘of faithful in the house of God’ in Congolese Catholic church leaves 43 dead
  • Pope welcomes young people to Rome for jubilee, thanks media for promoting truth
  • Cardinal Tomasi: Religious communities can play key roles in nuclear disarmament
  • Warsaw archbishop ‘devastated, crushed’ by priest’s arrest in brutal murder of homeless man
  • Jubilee of Youth chance to celebrate hope, fraternity in world at war, panel says
  • New York archdiocese sees hundreds of responses to ‘Called By Name’ program
  • Can’t afford a Catholic college? Think again. Many offer full tuition options
  • Detroit archbishop fires theologians Ralph Martin, Eduardo Echeverría from seminary

Search

Membership

Catholic Media Assocation

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2025 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

en Englishes Spanish
en en