Two sisters pondering
Marc Chagall’s blasphemous
‘White Crucifixion’
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- Francis views his favorite blasphemous artwork
Maurice Pinay's posts on the White Crucifixion
Showing posts with label White Crucifixion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label White Crucifixion. Show all posts
Thursday, July 19, 2018
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Who does papal biographer George Weigel work for?
George Weigel writes in his autobiography, Lessons in Hope: My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II,
“The cross beneath which I wrote Witness to Hope and The End and the Beginning is a framed reproduction of Marc Chagall’s White Crucifixion.”
Here we have Chagall’s blasphemous portrayal of Jesus as a Hasidic ‘Christ denying’ Jew turning up once again. Not only is this Francis’ favorite painting but George Weigel’s as well. Why would a ‘Catholic’ write two biographies of John Paul II under a painting with the inscription, above a crucified Jesus, which is a Hebrew rabbinic acronym for, “May his name and his memory be wiped out”?
Who is Weigel revealing this fact for? Looking at George Weigel’s behavior elsewhere: we see that he endorses the Kabbalistic Gnosis of Rabbi Abraham ‘I Want to Attack Christians’ Souls’ Heschel; has written, “Christian supersessionism — the notion that ‘the people of God of Israel has ceased to exist’ — is heresy and must be firmly rejected.”; has connections to IDF Intelligence and MEMRI (known for its fraudulent translations and cherry picking of Arabic clips) via Yigal Carmon; supports the Jonathan Institute’s creation the ‘War on Terror’; and associates with a slew of neo-cons among them Menahem Milson.
It’s obvious that Weigel isn’t a Catholic nor does he serve Jesus the Christ. In his autobiography his occultic nod, like Francis, to Chagall’s blasphemous painting is a form of ritual mockery showing whom he serves. This taken together with the other evidence shows that George serves Orthodox Judaic supremacists.
For more information see:
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Francis receiving a blasphemous gift, the book, “Chagall: Love, War and Exile”
“When an AJC delegation met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in February 2014, we presented him with a copy of the Jewish Museum exhibit book inside an artistic and inscribed gift box. We showed him page 105 of the exquisite volume, where a print of White Crucifixion is included. Francis was moved by our recognition of his emotional connection to the painting and responded with a joyous smile.”
source: Call Me Jorge..., Francis' noahide religion of holocaustianity
“When the Pope concluded his remarks, AJC presented him with a gift of the catalogue from the recent Marc Chagall retrospective at the Jewish Museum. The book contained an image of “White Crucifixion,” a favorite painting of Pope Francis which used Christian symbolism to alert the world of the suffering of Jews on the brink of the Shoa. Upon seeing this image the Pope was visibly moved and his smile gave hope to our delegation that he might put our gift in his personal quarters.”
source: Call Me Jorge..., Mont Levy on Francis
American Jewish Committee Chicago board member David Inlander, on the left, presents to Francis a gift, the book, “Chagall: Love, War and Exile,” which includes his favorite blasphemous painting, Marc Chagall’s “White Crucifixion,” In the center is Stan Bergman, president of American Jewish Committee’s national board of governors.
“David Inlander and Jerry Biederman of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in Chicago met with the pope to discuss his upcoming trip to Israel as well as persecution of Christians in the Middle East.
“I am very grateful to you for the distinguished contribution you have made to dialogue and fraternity between Jews and Catholics,” Pope Francis said to Inlander and Biederman.
At the meeting, Inlander of Fischel & Kahn LTD and Biederman of Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP gave the Pope a book of Marc Chagall paintings.
“As I presented the gift to the pope, I told him that I hoped he would keep the Chagall book nearby as source of comfort and inspiration, and I prayed that God bless him with the gift of peace, the gift of Shalom,” Inlander said.
The Pope smiled at them and responded simply: “Shalom.” ”
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Francis sees rabbi Abraham Skorka as his roving ambassador
“How strange it would have been 30 years ago, the fact that the rabbi is representing the holy father.”
— Francis in an email to Abraham Skorka —
(and at 20 minutes and 34 seconds in the video below)
Keep in mind that Rabbi Skorka:
- doesn’t believe that in the Divinity of Jesus, in fact to Skorka he is just a “dude”,
- is still anxiously awaiting the messiah,
- is a Zionist,
- is a huge supporter of same sex marriages and special rights for those with perverted behaviors,
- believes that the ‘Shoah’ has no historical precedent,
- believes that Nazism and anti-semitism originate in the theology of the Catholic Church,
- and feels that one cannot be a Christian unless one understands the essence of Talmudic Judaism and the debt owed to it by Christianity.
We guess this is par for the course when one’s rabbinical mentor was a known pederast and child molester!
We can only imagine what must be going on inside the mind of Francis if he has a best friend and ambassador such as this.
Dialogue, the Talmudic ‘other’, Chagall’s Talmudic Jesus, Bergoglio in the synagogue, Holocaustianity, etc...
The Talmudic gasbag Skorka starts speaking at 10 minutes & 42 seconds.
The six rabbis blessing the new building.
Jorge Bergoglio Hall joins Thomas Merton Hall and Angelo Roncalli Hall
on the campus of Sacred Heart University.
Look, it’s Francis’ favorite blasphemous painting in the new residence!
Chagall’s Talmudic Jewish Jesus gets a shout out in the above video
at 5 minutes and 29 seconds & at 13 minutes and 23 seconds.
Chagall’s Talmudic Jewish Jesus gets a shout out in the above video
at 5 minutes and 29 seconds & at 13 minutes and 23 seconds.
The new hall has a video game center and cross fit gym but no chapel.
Two women inspect the dorm room of senior, Laura Silver, in Jorge Bergoglio Hall.
Friday, December 30, 2016
Tridentine Judaism
Some of the priests at Saint John Cantius were invited to The Art Institute of Chicago for a viewing of Marc Chagall’s blasphemous painting, the “White Crucifixion”. They were so delighted to see Francis’ favorite painting that they posted photos of themselves viewing it on St. John Cantius’ social media accounts at facebook and at twitter. Surprised? We at Call Me Jorge... are not for Saint John Cantius church in Chicago and its associated programs are all about the “smells and bells” in the post-Summorum Pontificum 1962 Indult and the Novus Ordo Missae offered there daily as their official website explains. We call it Tridentine Judaism as they bestow upon Talmudic Judasim (this time with the Hasidism of Chagall’s blasphemous painting) an undeserved honor as being the eternal victims instead of being the transgressors that they are. Why would a Catholic pose with, much less promote blasphemy such as the “White Crucifixion”? Ignorance of Talmudic Judaism? Ignorance of the Catholic Faith? Or simply, love of “smells and bells”?
(click images to enlarge)
source for three above snapshots: facebook, Saint John Cantius Church, 19 April 2016
More on the White Crucifixion
Maurice Pinay's posts on the White Crucifixion
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Francis views his favorite blasphemous artwork
...and gives it his kosher seal of approval
'humble' meets blasphemy
Francis' alchemical dialogue between
Catholic art and blasphemous Hasidic kitsch!
(viewing takes place from 2 min 55 seconds until 4 minutes 25 seconds)
Francis saw his favorite blasphemous painting today in the Baptistery of St. John albeit for less than two minutes. Watch the video above, Francis seems underwhelmed by it and more interested in the gold colored mosaics adorning the ceiling of the Baptistery than Chagall's piece of blasphemous kitsch. Yet, every time he is asked and it has been many, what is his favorite painting, Francis replies without fail, "White Crucifixion by Marc Chagall."
Maremma News reported that Francis and Cardinal Joseph Betori were greeted in the Baptistery by the director of the The Art Institute of Chicago, Douglas Druick, and the director general of the Palazzo Strozzi, Arturo Galansino. The reason for Francis taking in the mosaics on the ceiling with the blasphemous painting was that the two directors told Francis the White Crucifixion, "was in dialogue with the 200 mosaics of the dome and of the apse, representing the message unity of unity between the ancient and the modern, the same spark of artists which transcends all time." You can't make stuff like this up. Francis, "admired and commented to those present that the masterpiece by Marc Chagall (is his favorite) together with Caravaggio (who) is his favorite artist."
One interesting coincidence is that from the 9th of November to the 10th of November in 1938 the 'Night of Broken Glass' or Kristallnacht took place in Germany. This in turn inspired Marc Chagall to paint this blasphemous piece of trash. Yes you guessed it, Chagall's White Crucifixion was moved from the Palazzo Strozzi to the Baptistery on the 9th of November and Francis viewed it at the Baptistery on the 10th of November. How numerically and magically charged! So fitting! Francis obsession with Kristallnacht according to our research goes back at least ten years. (see, Noche de los cristales rotos 2005)
Francis exited the Baptistery of St. John by going through La Porta del Paradiso (Door of Paradise or Heaven's Gate) to enter the Cathedral where he was meeting with the participants of the Fifth National Ecclesial Convention. Can it get any more symbolic? Viewing blasphemous junk will get one into heaven. The topic of discussion at this year's convention and theme is, "In Jesus Christ the New Humanism". Francis' full address can be read by clicking here. It's the usual modernist claptrap he is always spouting off like the following words:
"The Church is not obsessed with power, it escapes from the temptations and thrones to be the Church with the face of a mother, but restless, close to the forgotten and to the imperfect, who think to build a field hospital which welcomes. I desire a happy Church with the face of my mother, who understands, accompanies, caresses. You dream this Church, you believe in it, innovate it with freedom."
What about the Church desired by God?
Does that remind you of someone or something?
Who's always telling God that He is incorrect as is His word ?
More on the White Crucifixion
Maurice Pinay's posts on the White Crucifixion
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Francis' noahide religion of holocaustianity
Recall in our previous post, the 'Oral' Nostra Aetate, Rabbi Noah Marans explains to his listeners that Nostra Aetate and the actions of the post-Vatican II pontiffs such as; visiting synagogues, taking trips to Israel, participating in Talmudic Jewish religious rituals, constant Talmudic-Vatican dialogue, and inviting rabbis to the Vatican are the Catholic religion's Oral Torah or Talmud. The Talmud, need we remind the reader, is rabbis nullifying God's Laws. So using logic, one should expect Francis to nullify the traditions of the Faith given to us by Jesus the Christ as well as the New Testament.
quotes taken from: AJC, The Pope Francis Effect and Catholic-Jewish Relations by Noam E. Marans
In evaluating the trajectory of Catholic-Jewish Relations in the Pope Francis era, one picture is worth a thousand words. Pope Francis has identified Marc Chagall’s White Crucifixion as one of his favorite paintings. In the aftermath of Kristallnacht in 1938, when hundreds of European synagogues were torched, foreshadowing greater evil yet to come, Chagall artistically interpreted the threat of Nazism within the continuum of anti-Semitism. A “Jewish Jesus” is on the cross, wearing a tallit (prayer shawl) loincloth and surrounded by scenes of persecuted and fleeing Jews. A synagogue and its Torah scrolls are engulfed in flames, torched by a Nazi brownshirt. Using conflicting imagery, Chagall delivers his warning: the Jews who were persecuted as Christ-killers are now crucified as Jesus the Jew once was.
Pope Francis did not hesitate to publicly herald a painting featuring a syncretistic “Jewish Jesus” that certainly has the potential to offend, notwithstanding the facts of Jesus’ historic Jewishness and the painter’s Jewish identity. It speaks volumes about Francis’ empathy with the Jewish people and lack of concern that his admiration for the painting might be controversial or misinterpreted. And the absence of negative reaction from the Jewish community to Francis’ fondness for this painting demonstrates a Jewish comfort level with this pope that may be unique. Certainly, Francis’ interest in the painting suggests the significant role that the trauma of the Holocaust plays in his theological and interreligious thinking.
Pope Francis enjoys well-documented positive relationships with Argentinian-Jewish leaders, particularly rabbis. He publicly celebrates his friendship with Rabbi Abraham Skorka. Their rabbi–priest conversations, part of a television series, were adapted into the one and only book, On Heaven and Earth, authored by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future pope, before his ascent to the papacy.
There is no papal precedent for the frequency and intensity of Francis’ engagement with the Jewish people through meetings, gestures, and formal and informal pronouncements and teachings. On the day of his election he initiated a warm exchange with the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Dr. Riccardo Di Segni. At his installation a few days later, the pope singled out for welcome the Jewish leaders in attendance with the phrase, “the representatives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities.”
In Francis’ characteristic yet remarkable interaction with Eugenio Scalfari, the self-described non-believer and co-founder and former editor of La Republica, the pope wrote,
With the help of God, especially since the Second Vatican Council, we have rediscovered that the Jewish people remain for us the holy root from which Jesus was born.... As my mind turned to the terrible experience of the Shoah, I looked to God. What I can tell you, with Saint Paul, is that God has never neglected his faithfulness to the covenant with Israel, and that, through the awful trials of these last centuries, the Jews have preserved their faith in God. And for this, we, the Church and the whole human family, can never be sufficiently grateful to them.In a letter to La Republica, Chief Rabbi Di Segni, who is known to set cautious limits to interreligious dialogue, wrote, “This pontiff does not cease to surprise.” While acknowledging that Francis’ sentiments are not new to the Catholic Church, Di Segni nonetheless exclaimed, “It is the force with which he expresses them and his capacity of communicating them that is astounding.” The profound truth in this observation is applicable as well to Pope Francis’ wider ability to resuscitate the Church. Without minimizing the positive content of the pope’s statements, it is often the way he says things more than the content of his utterances that has brought a new spirit to the Church.
Beginning with his first audience at the Vatican with representatives of the international Jewish community, when Pope Francis greeted an International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC) delegation, he has repeatedly characterized Christian anti-Semitism as both sinful and absurd. In the official Vatican English translation of his June 24, 2013 address in Italian to the IJCIC delegation, an exclamation point accentuates the salient sentence: “Due to our common roots, a Christian cannot be anti-Semitic!”12 Christian anti-Semitism is self-denial or self-hate, argues Pope Francis, because there is no Christianity without Judaism first. The pope recently reiterated this teaching during an interview with the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Achronot. He said, “Anti-Semitism is a sin…Our roots are in Judaism.”
More dramatically, the now legendary September 2013 Jewish holiday experience at Francis’ Vatican was reported in depth by his good friend, Rabbi Skorka. Skorka visited with Pope Francis during Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah, and Shabbat, and described the scene:
I eat with him at breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. He cares for me, and controls everything regarding my food to make sure it is all kosher, and according to my religious tradition. These are festive days, and I have to say certain prayers at meals and, I expand the last prayer and translate it. He accompanies me together with the others at the table—his secretaries and a bishop—and they all say “Amen” at the end.Can we safely presume that this scene is unprecedented in papal history?
Although Francis’ gestures are important, it is the formal teaching of the Magisterium that will have the most lasting effect beyond his tenure. His first Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), a 224-page document, briefly but powerfully addresses interreligious dialogue. In a section entitled “Relations with Judaism,” Francis writes,
Dialogue and friendship with the children of Israel are part of the life of Jesus’ disciples. The friendship which has grown between us makes us bitterly and sincerely regret the terrible persecutions which they have endured, and continue to endure, especially those that have involved Christians.Rabbi David Rosen, my AJC colleague and the leading Jewish dialogue partner with the three most recent popes, put Evangelii Gaudium in historic context. “His emphasis on the ongoing Divine Presence in the life of the Jewish People and on the importance of the ‘values of Judaism’ for Christians is particularly significant in further advancing the historic transformation in the Catholic Church’s approach towards the Jewish people,” said Rosen.
Pope Francis wasted little time in affirming the centrality of Holocaust commemoration and the importance of the State of Israel to Jews, Catholics, and Catholic-Jewish relations. Following in the footsteps of his two predecessors but prioritizing it earlier in his papal travel schedule, Francis made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with a state visit to Israel.
At a moving encounter at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem, Francis “humbly bowed to kiss the hands of Holocaust survivors,” and offered an elegiac homily concluding with, “Adam, ‘where are you?’ Here we are, Lord, shamed by what man, created in your own image and likeness, was capable of doing.”
Francis was the first pontiff to visit and lay a wreath at the grave of Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism. The drama of history was not lost upon those who remembered Herzl’s diary post describing his 1904 audience with Pope Pius X, when he entreated Catholicism’s leader to support the Zionist effort to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. Herzl set down Pius X’s response:
We cannot give approval to this movement. We cannot prevent the Jews from going to Jerusalem— but we could never sanction it. The soil of Jerusalem, if it was not always sacred, has been sanctified by the life of Jesus Christ. As the head of the Church I cannot tell you anything different. The Jews have not recognized our Lord, therefore we cannot recognize the Jewish people.
As a result of the unprecedented nature of Francis’ positive history and interactions with the Jewish community past and present, the Francis effect has arguably had a more significant impact upon Catholic-Jewish relations than in other arenas...Whatever disagreements might arise between Catholics and Jews, it is clear in the post-Nostra Aetate era, even more so in the Francis era, that differences will be resolved, or at least discussed, among friends, and Pope Francis is certainly a friend.
But the promise of Francis’ pontificate remains most alluring. There has long been concern that the advances in Catholic-Jewish relations taken for granted in Europe and even more so in the United States may be harder to achieve elsewhere, especially where there are few Jews. A pope whose background is so different from his predecessors and speaks Spanish as his mother tongue might have the ability to reach more broadly with the message of Nostra Aetate and expand this golden age of Catholic-Jewish relations.
When an AJC delegation met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in February 2014, we presented him with a copy of the Jewish Museum exhibit book inside an artistic and inscribed gift box. We showed him page 105 of the exquisite volume, where a print of White Crucifixion is included. Francis was moved by our recognition of his emotional connection to the painting and responded with a joyous smile.
With Pope Francis, Catholic-Jewish relations have entered a new stage, normalization. It is all very natural, without premeditation. It is therefore most appropriate that the fiftieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate will be commemorated and celebrated during Francis’ pontificate, emblematic of the maturity of this cherished interreligious relationship between sibling faiths.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
It's arrived!
Francis' favorite blasphemous painting has arrived in Italy. According to John David Mooney, a former artist-in-residence at the Vatican Observatory at Castel Gandolfo, in Catholic New World's article, Art Institute of Chicago sending pope’s favorite painting to Italy,
“White Crucifixion” launched Chagall to do other paintings of the Jewish crucified Christ but none were so moving, says Chicago artist John David Mooney.
“This painting is different than all of his other crucifixions. He was doing a lot of them and they were all clearly Christ as a Jew,” Mooney said. “But this one is totally different and I think he knew that at the time.”
Mooney, who has a permanent sculpture on the lawn of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and a permanent sculpture at Castel Gandolfo in Italy — the traditional summer home of popes — said it’s a timeless painting.
“It’s such a contemporary piece,” Mooney said because, within the painting, the Jews fleeing persecution end up in boats as refugees, much like those fleeing persecution in the Middle East today and trying to make their way to Europe.
...By painting a Jewish Christ, Chagall was sending a message to the “Christian” countries persecuting the Jews. Yet, at the same time he was speaking to all generations, Mooney believes.
But most of all there is hope in the work Chagall created. The ray of light coming down from the top of the painting represents the hope of God for his people.
“I really see it as a very, very pastoral painting,” Mooney said and a good painting for Pope Francis to use as a teaching tool.
“He has to teach the Gospel and he chose a painting that teaches the Gospel,” he said. “God is found in humanity and he’s accompanying humanity.”
The painting is part of an exhibition at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy named, Divine Beauty: From Van Gogh to Chagall and Fontana and runs from 24 September 2015 to 24 January 2016. It fits right in with the majority of the artwork in the exhibition due to most of the works being blasphemous. If this isn't 'divine beauty' to a Catholic or to God, who finds it pleasing? One of the days (between 9th & 13th of November) during the exhibition, the “White Crucifixion” will be moved to the Baptistery of St. John temporarily in order so Francis can view it in private during his one-day trip to Florence.
This is what blasphemy looks like.
The explanation at the foot of the painting reads, "This painting, dated 1938, is a bold statement depicting the persecution
of the Jews. Chagall replaces Christ's loincloth with a prayer shawl
and His crown of thorns with a kippah, adding figures in traditional
garb, synagogues burning and people fleeing in fear. That Pope Francis
has declared it to be his favorite painting may be due to the bold
interfaith spirit it exudes."
More on the White Crucifixion
Maurice Pinay's posts on the White Crucifixion
Monday, September 14, 2015
The talmudic ghettofication of St. Joseph and Child Jesus
Here are a few examples of how St. Joseph and Child Jesus are traditionally represented in Catholic artwork.
And here is how Catholic Online depicted St. Jospeh and Child Jesus today in the web entry, Pilgrimage with Pope Francis - SIXTH STATION - St. Joseph, patron saint of fathers.
Dear reader recall that Francis' favorite piece of artwork in the entire world is the blasphemous White Crucifixion by Marc Chagall which depicts Jesus the Christ as a Hasidic Jew. Is it any wonder that St. Joseph and Child Jesus are being portrayed in new artwork under this same guise? For those who don't know, Hasidic Judaism was founded in Poland in the 18th century by Rabbi Yisroel (Israel) ben Eliezer, (aka Baal Shem Tov).
And here is how Catholic Online depicted St. Jospeh and Child Jesus today in the web entry, Pilgrimage with Pope Francis - SIXTH STATION - St. Joseph, patron saint of fathers.
Dear reader recall that Francis' favorite piece of artwork in the entire world is the blasphemous White Crucifixion by Marc Chagall which depicts Jesus the Christ as a Hasidic Jew. Is it any wonder that St. Joseph and Child Jesus are being portrayed in new artwork under this same guise? For those who don't know, Hasidic Judaism was founded in Poland in the 18th century by Rabbi Yisroel (Israel) ben Eliezer, (aka Baal Shem Tov).
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Chagall's blasphemous White Crucifixion is going to Italy
...where Francis will view it.
The inscription above the head in Chagall's blasphemous painting is Jesus' name misspelled in Hebrew which doubles as the rabbinic acronym "May his name and his memory be wiped out".
Marc Chagall's blasphemous painting, "The White Crucifixion", which depicts Jesus the Christ not as the messiah but instead as Jesus 'Hasidic' Christ is being loaned by the Art Institute of Chicago to the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy. This piece of alchemical garbage will be part of an exhibition titled, Divine Beauty: From Van Gogh to Chagall and Fontana. The exhibition will start 24 September 2015 and finish 24 January 2016. Francis will finally get to view his favorite work of art in the flesh for the first time between the 9th & 13th of November when he will be in Florence attending the Fifth National Bishops Conference. The Art Institute of Chicago replaced "The White Crucifixion" temporarily with an ugly painting called the "Red-Haired Girl" by Emil Nolde. Even though it's ugly it is a tremendous improvement as it isn't an affront to God. For readers not familiar with Chagall's Hasidic Golem Jesus, see the links below the photos which discuss it in detail.
Off the wall it goes.
It's going to see the modernist, Francis 'the Humble'.
Quite the improvement!
More on the White Crucifixion
Maurice Pinay's posts on the White Crucifixion
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Mont Levy on Francis
On Feb. 13, I shook hands with Pope Francis at the Vatican. I was a member of a delegation from the American Jewish Committee led by our national leaders and the leadership for Interreligious Affairs.Under any circumstances, this experience would have held profound meaning for me. To meet this Pope, at this moment in time, was a rare opportunity to experience a transformational figure as he has barely begun his own journey based on his message of humanity and humility.All around the world, people have voiced their overwhelmingly embrace of Pope Francis. He has awakened a new sense of possibility of a world more responsive to fundamental needs of the poor and to more broadminded thinking about social justice.By all accounts, the Jewish community has responded to the promise of Pope Francis in similar fashion. In the first few months of his papacy, he has demonstrated that he is no ordinary religious leader. As the leader of 1.2 billion Catholics around the world, he is the first Pope from the Americas, the first non-European pope since Pope Gregory III (731-741) and the first Jesuit pope.For the Jewish community Archbishop and then Cardinal Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, was unique among the many candidates who might have been elevated to this position. His close relationship with the Jewish community of Buenos Aires, home of the 13th largest Jewish population in the world, was exemplary. He reached out in solidarity in the wake of the 1994 terrorist bombing at AMIA, the Jewish Community Center where 80 died and hundreds were wounded, established a permanent Holocaust memorial, and held commemorations at the Buenos Aires cathedral.Pope Francis had and has deep personal relationships with many in the Jewish community and engaged with hundreds more over several decades. He co-authored a book with Rabbi Abraham Skorka, “Heaven and Earth,” creating a written record of their televised dialogues on diverse issues.AJC has a long and proud history of building relationships with the Church. This mission provided the opportunity to further and deepen our connections. In addition to coming to meet a man who many think will be a transformational figure in our lifetime, we came to Rome at a juncture when the relationship between the Catholic Church and Jewish community is at an all-time high.Fifty years ago next year the historical document Nostra Aetate (“In Our Time”) was promulgated and with it the beginning of a fundamental change in the relationship between Jews and Catholics. In just 50 years, these two faith communities have developed a deep theological connection. Nostra Aetate declared that the past teachings of the Catholic Church, which led to such vilification of Jews, were to be rejected and replaced with teachings about the close lineage of the Jews and Catholics. It taught in no uncertain terms that God’s covenant with the Jews remains unbroken.In our time, Pope Francis is the first pope ever to have practiced his ministry in the midst of a vibrant Jewish community with the new doctrine of Nostra Aetate.Our audience with Pope Francis took place in the Vatican, a collection of buildings that inspire awe under any circumstances. The great beauty of the exterior architecture and the vastness of St. Peters Cathedral captivate anyone who has visited. The interior halls of the Vatican reveal ceilings and walls whose frescoes dazzle and expose us to architecture, paintings, furniture and tapestries of rare beauty and historical importance. Seeing these rooms up close as we were escorted to our meetings gave a sense of being in another era.This trip held some special treats. Among our many meetings leading up to our audience with the Pope was one with the new Secretary of State, Cardinal Designate Pietro Parolin, who holds the second most powerful position in the Vatican. His domain includes the vast array of non-theological issues with which the Vatican deals as an independent nation. He listened carefully to our agenda and committed his attention to many of the issues raised, including extending knowledge of Nostra Aetate to the Latino world and the plight of Christian communities in the Middle East.From that meeting we were led to the Sistine Chapel through the corridors and the doors by which the Pope enters. These are the same doors through which the Cardinals enter during their conclave. As we passed through those doors, our group was acutely aware that we had been given very special access to an inner sanctum.We began our morning meeting with Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and president of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. Cardinal Koch has been a friend of the Jewish community for many years. His welcome was warm and familiar. At his side was Father Norbert J. Hofmann, who has been secretary of the Pontifical Commission on Religious Relations with the Jews since 2002. Father Hofmann is young, energetic and has ready access to the important activities between the Church and the Jewish community. He listens intently and works closely with AJC on a wide range of projects. Following Cardinal Koch’s remarks, we had the opportunity for questions and once again asked about many of the same issues discussed with Secretary of State Parolin.We then climbed into our vans and headed for the audience with Pope Francis, accompanied by Cardinal Koch and Father Hofmann. Leading our mission was AJC’s International Director of Interreligious Affairs, Rabbi David Rosen. Rabbi Rosen’s credentials speak to his highly respected position as the Jewish representative to faith communities throughout the world. His positions span from honorary advisor on interfaith relations with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, to the International President of Religions for Peace, and Board of Directors of the King Abdullah International Center for Interreligious Dialogue.Rabbi Rosen has long and substantive relations with the Vatican. In 2005 Pope Benedict XVI made the rabbi a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great for his contributions to Catholic-Jewish reconciliation. In 2010, Queen Elizabeth II made him Commander of the British Empire for his interreligious work. The upcoming audience would be Rabbi Rosen’s fifth meeting with Pope Francis. Throughout our visit we were kept well informed and at all times felt we were with “Friends of David”.Once again we were led through the vast and splendid hallways of the Vatican. At each opening another colorfully dressed Swiss Guardsman manned the door. Finally we were brought into a grand salon. As we waited for the Pope to enter, an excitement filled the room. At the same time I was struck by the profound irony that Pope Francis has raised for the church. Sitting in another space of overwhelming elegance and richness, we were about to meet the man who had taken the name of St. Francis of Assisi, following the teachings of humility and duty to care for those in need.Pope Francis is a plain man who dresses simply, but carries himself with an unassuming confidence. His warmth and instant focus on engaging with the group was evident. Stanley Bergman, President of the AJC, presented remarks from our delegation. He spoke of the significance of the Pope’s special message to urge leaders ‘to ensure that humanity is served by wealth and not ruled by it’. Mr. Bergman reminded the Pontiff of AJC’s long history of working to reconcile relationships and our appreciation of the Church’s statements against anti-Semitism as “a sin against God and man”. He also spoke of the challenges the Jewish and Catholic communities still share, including those in Israel. Finally, he spoke of the hope we all have that the Pope’s upcoming visit to the Holy Land will “inspire all in the region to reject the path of violence and pursue paths of peace”.Pope Francis began his remarks with a welcome and a message for the future. He noted the upcoming anniversary of Nostra Aetate which he said “constitutes for the Church the sure point of reference for relations with our “elder brothers”. Nostra Aetate reflects “the spiritual patrimony which unites us and which is the foundation of our dialogue”… which is “theological, and not simply an expression of our desire for reciprocal respect and esteem”. He went on to say “Therefore, it is important that our dialogue be always profoundly marked by the awareness of our relationship with God”.Pope Francis captured the transcendent evolution of our relationship and the basis of how we should move forward together. He also stated that in addition to dialogue “it is also important to find ways in which Jews and Christians can cooperate in constructing a more just and fraternal world”. As has been his constant theme, he asked that our common efforts “serve the poor, the marginalized and those who suffer”. Just as Pope Francis has challenged the world, so too are we as Jews challenged to work with our partners in the Church to pursue Tikkun Olam.Finally, the Pope raised the great challenge of education that we had previously raised in our prior meetings. “In order that our efforts may not be fruitless, it is important that we dedicate ourselves to transmitting to new generations the heritage of our mutual knowledge, esteem and friendship…”. He went on to say, “It is my hope therefore that the study of relations with Judaism may continue to flourish in seminaries and in centers of formation for lay Catholics, as I am similarly hopeful that a desire for an understanding of Christianity may grow among young Rabbis and the Jewish community.”When the Pope concluded his remarks, AJC presented him with a gift of the catalogue from the recent Marc Chagall retrospective at the Jewish Museum. The book contained an image of “White Crucifixion,” a favorite painting of Pope Francis which used Christian symbolism to alert the world of the suffering of Jews on the brink of the Shoa. Upon seeing this image the Pope was visibly moved and his smile gave hope to our delegation that he might put our gift in his personal quarters.We were then able to line up and have a personal moment and handshake with the Pope. It was a fleeting few seconds, but a special moment that will be etched in the memory of each member of the delegation. While overwhelmingly made up of AJC members, several of the AJC delegation were Catholic friends of the organization. Watching these friends embracing this special and highly spiritual moment was truly moving. It felt wonderful to share this experience, just for that moment, with a believer in the Catholic faith.A critical reality of the Jewish community’s relationship with the Church is that the teachings of Nostra Aetate have flourished mainly in the United States. With anti-Semitism on the rise in Europe it is particularly unfortunate that the dissemination of these teachings has been far less successful there. In Central and South America there is relatively little knowledge of either Nostra Aetate or experience with the Jewish community. Today, in the United States the growing Hispanic population now represents more than 30 percent of the over 75 million Catholics and more than 70 percent of those were born after the promulgation of Nostra Aetate. One of AJC’s high priorities is engaging this growing religious community in our ongoing interreligious agenda.I have had the rare privilege to be one on one with more than one Pope. Each is unique, but the chance to shake the hand of Pope Francis was extraordinary. These are the hands that are reaching out to visibly help others and be a symbol to the world that we can and are required to do more. His smile was a reminder of his constant and steadfast will to be a messenger of peace to the world. Hopefully, for all of us, his message will be heard.The Mission came to a grand conclusion on Friday night. We gathered with many “Friends of David,” including prominent Vatican leaders and the Israeli Ambassador to the Vatican. While much of our trip had a serious tone, great fun was had at our interreligious Shabbat dinner. Our conversations were rich with exchanges about comparing religious rituals, planning for future activities together and simply creating new connections. We were inspired by the moving D'var Torah of Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC’s Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations for the United States. Throughout the evening we sang together both the traditional prayers to traditional melodies but also traditional prayers to anything but traditional sounds. Rabbi Rosen had put some Shabbat table hymns to the chorus from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Elvis Presley oldies. The dinner was uplifting and joyous, and as the evening came to an end, no one really wanted to leave. The momentous experience came to a most fulfilling conclusion, highlighted by another reality… as Jews and Catholics we enjoy being with one another, we share much in common, and it is right that we pursue the repair of the world together.St. Louisan Mont Levy is Vice Chair of the Interreligious Affairs Commission for AJC. He was part of a 50-member AJC delegation that met with the Pope.
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