Neocatechumenal Way Presents Holocaustian Symphony of Homage to Talmudic "Fathers in the Faith"

Literally every religious claim below is rubbish intended to create false commonality between Jesus, the Bible, the Israelites and today's talmudic 'Jews' where there is in fact complete opposition. Jesus never prayed to "Hashem," a ridiculous, tribal, exclusivist contrivance which translates as "The Name."  But this is the kind of madness that one would expect from 'Catholics' who call the rabbis of Talmud and Kabbalah "fathers in the faith."

'Traditional Catholics' are wont to criticize the Neocatechumenal Way for its liturgical absurdities. Let us see what they have to say (nothing?) about this theologically and symbolically loaded symphony of race exultation in which Jesus' mother is made to cry with 'Jews' of the Talmud (which teaches that her Son deserved to be executed) and "affirm" the "Shema Yisrael" which for centuries has connotated rejection of Christianity in general and specifically the Christian doctrines of the Trinity and Divinity of Christ.

Dear traditionalist reader, what we have here, consistent with the modern Catholic mockery of Auschwitz replacing Calvary, is Mary crying with 'The Jews' at the foot of the 'gas chambers' instead of crying for Jesus at the foot of the cross. Are you in 'full communion' with this outrageous mockery?

A Concert of Reconciliation


Catholic Group Honors Jews in Free Lincoln Center Event

Jonathan Mark - The Jewish Week

May 1, 2012

... The Neocatechumenal Way was founded in Spain, in large part, to further Catholic spiritual renewal and solidify the relationship with Jews. The group, now with more than 80 seminaries around the world and a major center in Israel’s Galilee, is presenting a free symphonic concert in Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall (May 8 at 8 p.m.), billed as a “musical gift to the Jewish people.” (Advance registration required, by calling [201] 998-9469).

The symphony, entitled “The Suffering of the Innocents,” is being presented as an homage and prayer to Holocaust victims in particular, viewed through a Catholic prism of Mary crying and united with Jewish mothers in the concentration camps, affirming “Shema Yisrael.” The elaborate piece — for 100 musicians and 80 choral singers — was composed by the movement’s founder, Kiko Arguello, a painter and theologian, who has stated that his symphony is being offered “as a bridge of love and reconciliation.

“We act according to the last wishes for Pope John Paul II. We remember that the roots of Christianity are in Judaism and that since the beginning, God made Israel the chosen people.”

The concert has been endorsed by representatives of numerous Jewish organizations, including the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League [of B'nai B'rith], the New York Board of Rabbis and the Jewish Community Relations Council, as well as Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, and Haim Gutin of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism. After the performance of the symphony, [Papal Knight] Rabbi David Rosen, the AJC’s director of interreligious relations, is scheduled to lead a memorial prayer for the victims of the Shoah, prior to a collective recitation of “Shema.”

['Holocaust' Dispensationalist Theologian] Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg told The Jewish Week that The Neocatechumenal Way is “primarily a lay inspiration group that has done no missionary work and has no missionary interest. They speak about Israel like the Evangelicals do, that the Jews are ‘God’s people.’ And Israel is ‘God’s Promised Land.’ They specialize in a respectful attempt to help Catholics better appreciate the Jewish people and the Jewish religion, as well as raising an awareness of how much the Jews have suffered, including from Christians.

“In fact, one of the highlights of their programs, including the one they’re about to have in New York, is to get people to chant ‘Shema Yisroel, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad,’ in Hebrew. Partially it is, for them, the chanting of the prayer that Jesus said, and in part it is a powerful emotional statement about the Jews.”

Rabbi Greenberg added, “’The Suffering of the Innocents’ addresses the theological problem of suffering, often using Christian imagery, but also refers to the fact that the Jews are the classic example of innocent suffering. And just as God has a special love for the suffering innocent, so should Christians have a love for the Jewish people.

“It would be both impressive and a positive Jewish experience for Jews to be” at the Lincoln Center event, said Rabbi Greenberg. “And it is important for [the Neocatechumanals] to see that at least the Jewish establishment respects their work.”

Giuseppe Gennarini, of the Neocatechumenal leaders in the United States, told The Jewish Week that his movement aims at “rediscovery, and the first thing we discover in the faith is the Jewish roots, we discover the word of God, we discover Abraham, we discover the Exodus and the Passover. With rediscovery comes love. We are grateful to the Jews for what they have given to us, to help us know God.”

He prefers to think of Jews, not as an “elder brother,” as some Christians say, but as a “parent,” because in the Bible “there were so often difficulties between brothers, such as with Esau and Jacob, and Joseph and his brothers. So we say, not brothers, but you are our parent, our father in the faith.”

http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/concert_reconciliation

Opus Pharisaei

Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, the Vicar General of Opus "Dei" (Opus Pharisaei, in truth) is one of Pope Benedict's representatives in the theological discussions that took place between the SSPX and Rome from 2009-2011. The day after we commented on Bp. Fellay's recent 'interview' and pointed to the discrepancy in Rome's allowance for discussion of Vatican II teachings while anathematizing discussion of 'The Holocaust,' a work of artifice from Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz was published in the Pope's journal, L'Osservatore Romano HERE.

This document contains a formula which amounts to relativistic tyranny:

The [Second Vatican] Council’s [innovative] doctrinal teachings require of the faithful a degree of assent called “religious submission of will and intellect”. Precisely because it is “religious” assent, such assent is not based purely on rational motives. This kind of adherence does not take the form of an act of faith. Rather, it is an act of obedience that is not merely disciplinary, but is well-rooted in our confidence in the divine assistance given to the Magisterium, and therefore “within the logic of faith and under the impulse of obedience to the faith" ...

... A number of innovations of a doctrinal nature are to be found in the documents of the Second Vatican Council ... These innovations in matters concerning faith or morals, not proposed with a definitive act, still require religious submission of intellect and will ...

I take this as an answer to Proud Pharisee David Rosen's self-interested insistence that Nostra Aetate and Lumen Gentium be considered "fundamental doctrines of the Church," and that it be impossible to question them "without challenging the authority of the church."

Those who know the religion of Judaism know what's going on here. The rabbis "don't listen to heavenly voices." They say, "the Torah is not in heaven." Their god says, "my sons have defeated me." Their god is mutable; nothing more than a totem the possession of which gives them absolute, tyrannical authority which they use to innovate and enforce doctrines as needed, or to destroy and blot out problematic doctrines.

Expect much more of this kind of relativisation of perennial Church teaching enforced by absolute authority (at the service of the rabbis) as long as religious relations with the rabbis continue. And play close attention to how that authority is selectively enforced.

Also see:

Benedict's "Hermeneutic of Continuity" and the Rabbinic "Genius"

"Proud Pharisee" David Rosen to Speak at Middle East Synod of Bishops

Middle East Synod participants named; Muslim and Jewish leaders will speak

October 05, 2010

Pope Benedict XVI has completed a list of more than 200 bishops, 36 experts and 34 auditors who will participate in the Synod of Bishops on the Middle East, which opens in Rome next week.

The Roman news agency I Media has reported that the Pope has also issued invitations to two Muslim officials and an American Jewish leader to address the Synod ...

According to the I Media report, Pope Benedict has also asked two Muslims—one from Iran, one from Lebanon—and an American Jewish leader to address the Synod. They are: Seyyed Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad, a law professor at the University of Tehran; Mohammad Sammak, a member of the Lebanese commission for Islamic-Christian dialogue; and David Rosen, the inter-religious affairs director of the International Jewish Committee.

The Synod will open on October 10 and continue through October 24.

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7812

see:

Papal Rabbi-Knight David Rosen Wants to Change What Christians Believe About the Pharisees

The True 'Spirit of Assisi' Unveiled

'Dialogue' and the 'Spirit of Assisi' under the 'Noahide' rainbow.





http://www.santegidio.org/index.php?&idLng=1064

http://www.santegidio.org/downloads/cracovia_en.pdf

One important event will be a pilgrimage, unprecedented in size and representation, to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, on September 8. This will serve as a sign of reconciliation and peace and a symbol of a radical rejection of violence and war as a way of solving international conflicts.

The program will begin with an inaugural Mass tomorrow, presided by Cardinal Dziwisz at the Divine Mercy Shrine. In the afternoon, there will be an Inaugural Assembly in the Auditorium 'Maximum' of Krakow. On September 7, there will be 22 round-table discussions in various parts of the city, which will address various themes including: Do Not Forget Auschwitz; the Legacy of John Paul II; Latin America in a Globalized World; Religions and the Challenge of Materialism; Dialogue of Faith and Culture; Faiths in Asia: Building a World Without Violence; Africa, Land of Opportunity; Religions and Global Health of the World: the Rebirth of Africa; The Power of Prayer Over History; Faith and Science.” The final day, September 8, in the morning there will be a Silent March to the gas chambers of the concentration camp at Birkenau and a Memorial Ceremony at the International Monument to the Victims of Nazi-fascism. In the afternoon, following the prayer encounters at various sites, the various religious communities will meet for a Peace Procession that will make its way to Market Square, where the closing ceremony will be held.

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=14765

Auschwitz sanctified again, Sept 8, 2009.

Also see:

Rome Hosts Conference on "The Contribution of Judaism to Our Contemporary World."

Religious Leaders are Playing a Game

The REAL Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow

Benedict Praises "Noahide Law" Commission

Benedict XVI with Pharisee David Rosen and Chief Rabbis Shlomo Amar, and Yona Metzger at "Heichal Shlomo"

In a meeting with the Chief Rabbis of "Israel" at "Heichal Shlomo" (meaning "Solomon's Temple") on May 12, 2009 Benedict XVI, inter alia, sang high praises for the joint Vatican - Chief Rabbinate commission which on March 20, 2007 issued a document which fraudulently claimed a biblical basis for the talmudic "Noahide Laws."

see:

Papal Commission Promotes Noahide Laws

A great source of satisfaction for me since the beginning of my pontificate has been the fruit yielded by the ongoing dialogue between the Delegation of the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel’s Delegation for Relations with the Catholic Church. I wish to thank the members of both delegations for their dedication and hard work in implementing this initiative, so earnestly desired by my esteemed predecessor Pope John Paul II, as he said during the Great Jubilee Year of 2000.

Our encounter today is a most fitting occasion to give thanks to the Almighty for the many blessings which have accompanied the dialogue conducted by the Bilateral Commission, and to look forward with expectation to its future sessions ...

As the Declaration Nostra Aetate makes clear, the Church continues to value the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews and desires an ever deeper mutual understanding and respect through biblical and theological studies as well as fraternal dialogues. May the seven Bilateral Commission meetings which have already taken place between the Holy See and the Chief Rabbinate stand as evidence! I am thus grateful for your reciprocal assurance that the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Chief Rabbinate will continue to grow in respect and understanding in the future ... (Benedict XVI address to Chief Rabbinate of "Israel" at Heichal Shlomo, Jerusalem, May 12, 2009)

http://www.zenit.org/rssenglish-25872

also see:

Benedict's Elder Brother, Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger Calls For Religious/Ethnic Cleansing

Papal Rabbi-Knight David Rosen Wants to Change What Christians Believe About the Pharisees

Purim-Shpiel 2009

"...whereas it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them."

The Shock and Awe campaign against Bishop Williamson and "Holocaust denial" which the rabbis whipped the mob into beginning January 21st was called off by Israeli Chief Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen at the Vatican on March 12th, the day after Purim. He said, "This was not just another meeting. This was a special experience, a turning point, the end of a crisis ..." ("Rabbis after pope meeting: Crisis over," Lisa Palmeri-Billig, Jerusalem Post, March 12, 2009)

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1236764174471&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

When Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen said that his visit to the Vatican of March 11-12 (March 10-11 being Purim) marked a "turning point," he was alluding to the very essence of Purim itself--venahafoch hu--the turning around of circumstances; the "hippuch" or reversal of roles in the book of Esther.

But this is the story of Esther according to the lunatic rabbis where "Holocaust denial" is equated with complete annihilation. In Purim Shpiel 2009 Bishop Williamson was thrust into the role of Haman, Benedict XVI played King Ahasuerus and Rabbis Shear Yashuv Cohen and David Rosen were cast as Mordechai. "Holocaust Denial" served as the gallows pole which was turned from an instrument of "persecution" of "The Jews" into the instrument for Bishop Williamson and like-minded individuals to be hung from.

Indeed, the "threat" of "Holocaust denial" was turned around and made a "blessing." The pope decreed that "Holocaust denial" is unacceptable and he exalted the "Holocaust" idol as never before. Numerous bishops proclaimed that it's not possible to be Catholic if one "denies" "The Holocaust." Bishop Williamson's position as educator was terminated while "Holocaust studies" in Catholic schools received a huge boost. Rabbi Rosen said, "I hope a recommendation (from the pope on Holocaust studies in Catholic schools) will come out of this latest crisis. That will be a silver lining to the cloud." ("Jews ask pope for Holocaust studies in schools," Philip Pullella, Reuters, March 12, 2009)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE52B51320090312?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

And note that as King Ahasuerus rewarded Mordechai, so did Benedict reward the rabbis with thanks and praises, even while scorning Catholics:

"I was saddened by the fact that even Catholics who, after all, might have had a better knowledge of the situation, thought they had to attack me with open hostility. Precisely for this reason I thank all the more our Jewish friends, who quickly helped to clear up the misunderstanding and to restore the atmosphere of friendship and trust which – as in the days of Pope John Paul II – has also existed throughout my pontificate and, thank God, continues to exist. ("LETTER ON REMISSION OF EXCOMMUNICATION LEFEBVRE BISHOPS," Benedict XVI, March 10, 2009)

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20090310_remissione-scomunica_en.html

This statement from the pope is bizarre given that his "Jewish" friends are on record as the ones who created the chaos and who only decided to end it on Purim after they'd received every concession they could have dreamed of.

I don't take it as a coincidence that this reversal of events came on Purim any more than it was a coincidence that the 1991 attack against Iraq ended on Purim or that the 2003 attack on Iraq began, in the words of George Bush's speech writers, "at a time of our choosing" which just happened to be Purim.

This 2009 Purim-Shpiel psychodrama/production perpetuated the hester panim gnosis deconstructed in Judaism Discovered which teaches that Judaism needs a certain amount of persecution for it's own advancement; it needs both Mordechai and Haman. Where persecution doesn't exist the illusion of persecution is created.

The notion that one bishop's non-acceptance of certain elements of received "Holocaust" lore could lead to genocide is patent idiocy, but through this and similar ruses the rabbis have maintained their control over 'klal Israel" and, with the assistance of the pope and bishops, managed to advance their assault on Christianity.

"The tree [Haman] had prepared for Mordechai's hanging became his own gallows, and so on throughout the Megillah. It was Haman, more than Esther, who destroyed Haman ... on Purim, we rise above the limited reach of our understanding, and for a brief moment we perceive that 'blessed be Mordechai' and its hippuch/its reversal, 'cursed be Haman,' are really one and the same." ("Redemption by Reversal," Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky)

http://www.aish.com/purimthemes/purimthemesdefault/Redemption_by_Reversal.asp

Also see:

Amalek, Haman, and Christians

Vatican, German Chancellor Win Temporary Pharisee Approval

"American" "Jewish" Committee operative and proud, self-proclaimed Pharisee, David Rosen, who was in 2005 knighted by Pope Benedict XVI, is very pleased with the measures taken by church and state in Europe in response to the heresy of "Holocaust" denial. Pharisaic praise is quickly withdrawn, however. This will last only until the next shameful act of treachery is demanded, which will, no doubt, happen soon enough.

AJC Welcomes Vatican Statement on Holocaust Denier Bishop

New York – February 4, 2009 – AJC has applauded today’s statement from the Vatican demanding that Bishop Richard Williamson “absolutely, unequivocally and publicly distance himself” from his advocacy of Holocaust denial.

Williamson, a conservative Bishop whose excommunication by the late Pope John Paul II was recently revoked by Pope Benedict XVI, has consistently denied the existence of the Nazi gas chambers. The Vatican’s statement demanding he recant these view follows a chorus of angry protest from both Jewish groups and non-Jewish groups.

"This is what we were asking for - an unequivocal repudiation of Williamson's odious opinions and all such forms of anti-Semitism," said Rabbi David Rosen, AJC's International Director of Interreligious Affairs. “This welcome statement, as well as the clear reiteration that the Society of Saint Pius X, to which Williamson belongs, will only be allowed back into the Church once it respects the historic reforms of the Second Vatican Council, demonstrates the Vatican’s continuing commitment to good relations with the Jewish community. Had all this been expressed at the outset, we could have avoided the unnecessary damage and distress.”

Rosen paid special tribute to the many religious and civic leaders who contributed to this satisfactory resolution, in particular German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Chancellor Merkel urged the Vatican to go further in its clear rejection of Holocaust denial and deniers. “We deeply appreciate Chancellor Merkel’s principled stance,” Rosen said. “Holocaust denial must never be tolerated or legitimized.”

Original

Coincidentally, Rabbi/Pharisee David Rosen was one of the signers of the joint Delegation of the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews /Chief Rabbinate of Israel document which falsely claims that the Talmudic "Noahide laws" have a biblical foundation.

I believe it's fair to ask whether this AJC rabbi emissary to the Vatican, David Rosen, has the same motivations as his predecessor, Rabbi Abraham Heschel. I have no doubt, but Rosen is far more slick than Heschel.

Another rabbi-Inquisitor of Holocaustolatry, Leon Klenicki was knighted by Benedict XVI in 2007. Rabbi Leon Klenicki, in addition to being an "Anti-Defamation" League operative, was a strong advocate of Rabbi Benamozegh's teachings on "Noahide" Churchianity.

Dear Reader, here are two Judaic power organization operatives, zealous rabbi/inquisitors against "Holocaust" denial, deceitful evangelists of the "Noahide laws," who also happen to have been knighted by Benedict XVI.

I ask people to consider whether "full communion" with Benedict XVI and his elder brother peddlers of the "Noahide" faith is something to be sought after by true followers of Jesus Christ and His Gospel teachings.

Important 2005 Article on Benedict and the Rabbis

As it turns out, this 2005 New York Sun article which a reader called attention to was prophetic. It foretold of Benedict's 2008 Good Friday prayer for the Jews that he tacked onto the 1962 Missal. According to former World Jewish Congress official and Edgar Bronfman crony, Rabbi Israel Singer, Benedict had told him he would make such a change in 1993 during a visit to his Vatican apartment:

In 1993 ... Rabbi Singer ... visited Cardinal Ratzinger at home ... Cardinal Ratzinger, Rabbi Singer said, listened carefully to concerns about aspects of the Catholic liturgy, "and he said he was going to change that liturgy which was unacceptable because it causes anti-Semitism."

Rabbi Singer, a man who Norman Finkelstein has fittingly called a "repellent sewer rat," was recently kicked out of the WJC. As it turns out, he's too corrupt even for the Judaic mafia. How interesting that such a character would influence the Catholic liturgy. More on Rabbi Singer:

The Vatican Mafia

There's No Racket Like the Shoah Racket

Lustiger's NY Yeshiva Tour, Endorsement of Chabad Lubavitch as Religious Model

Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard of Ecclesia Dei Commission Studying Talmud at NY Yeshiva


There are many other points of interest in this article. Searches of this blog for the rabbis mentioned below will turn up much information.

How Future Pope Won the Respect of Jewish Leaders

By MEGHAN CLYNE, Staff Reporter of the Sun
April 22, 2005

In the days since Pope Benedict XVI's election, many critics have tarred him as an intolerant ideologue, insensitive to people of other faiths. Several New York Jewish leaders, however, while recounting their personal experiences with Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, described the future pope as a gentle, humble, learned man, a brilliant theological mind, and a devoted ecclesiastical leader in whom Jews will find an important ally.

The chairman of the World Jewish Congress, Rabbi Israel Singer, remembered a trip to Rome in which he visited the then-cardinal's personal apartment, which he said illustrated Benedict's personality.

In 1993, Rabbi Singer said, he was at the Vatican in anticipation of Pope John Paul II's historic declaration that the Holy See would officially recognize and maintain diplomatic relations with the state of Israel. On the eve of the announcement, Rabbi Singer said, he visited Cardinal Ratzinger at home to discuss the theological implications of the decision, of which the cardinal was a staunch supporter.

Although his residence was nestled amidst the elaborate Baroque architecture of the Vatican, Rabbi Singer said, the interior of the cardinal's quarters was extraordinarily spare, with a German simplicity in its appointments and furnishings.

"You got the impression you were in the home of a very, very modest person," Rabbi Singer said. "All you saw in that apartment were books - books, and books, and books, all with yellow slips with markings on them, which showed these books had all been read."

The expansiveness of the future pope's personal library, and the orderliness with which it was arranged, reflected the breadth, depth, and discipline of the pontiff's intellect, Rabbi Singer said.

"He's very fair ... very thoughtful, very deep-thinking," Rabbi Singer said of Benedict. Contrary to depictions of him as a fierce, unreflective dogmatist, the pontiff "doesn't come to a conclusion until he's solved all the problems and questions," Rabbi Singer said.

Benedict's contemplative sensitivity, the New York rabbi added, manifested itself in his responsiveness to Jewish leaders' anxieties. Cardinal Ratzinger, Rabbi Singer said, listened carefully to concerns about aspects of the Catholic liturgy, "and he said he was going to change that liturgy which was unacceptable because it causes anti-Semitism."

On another occasion, Rabbi Singer said, he discussed a Jewish-Catholic relief operation in Argentina with the cardinal, wondering whether - given that it was unusual for the church to suggest such collaboration with Jews - the undertaking was theologically sound.

"He listened carefully," Rabbi Singer said, "and then said, 'This is a very important task, bless you.' "

"He smiled, and he said he felt this is what religion should be known for - that this is the most important aspect of the dialogue," Rabbi Singer added.

Sometimes, Benedict's dialogue with Jews has been conducted quietly, not in his capacity as the guardian of Catholic orthodoxy, but as a private citizen and inquisitive theologian.

A theology professor at Bard College, Rabbi Jacob Neusner, has been a regular correspondent with Benedict for the past 15 years.

Rabbi Neusner is the author of several books on Jewish theology, including translations into English of rabbinic texts. While working on a volume about the historical Jesus in 1989, he said, he came across some of Cardinal Ratzinger's writings on the subject. Rabbi Neusner sent him a letter praising his work, and the cardinal's response initiated a continuing communication on matters of theological scholarship.

In the course of their epistolary dialogue, Rabbi Neusner said, Cardinal Ratzinger proved himself "a very fine scholar, very smart, and very sensitive."

When Rabbi Neusner wrote "A Rabbi Talks With Jesus" in 1994 - a book in which Rabbi Neusner says that, had he been present for the Sermon on the Mount, he would not have followed Jesus - Cardinal Ratzinger, whose English is described as excellent, sent him a blurb for the jacket.

Despite its rejection of Christian teachings, Benedict wrote of Rabbi Neusner's work: "The absolute honesty, the precision of analysis, the union of respect for the other party with carefully grounded loyalty to one's own position characterize the book and make it a challenge especially to Christians, who will have to ponder the analysis of the conflict between Moses and Jesus."

Rabbi Neusner and several other Jewish leaders said Benedict's unflinching conviction in his own faith was hardly a liability, but was precisely what made him such a valuable interlocutor - because he could appreciate Jewish leaders' staunch belief in the truth of their own religion.

The basis of interfaith dialogue with Benedict, they said, was mutual respect and a celebration of common convictions, rather than a push to evangelize or demand alterations to doctrine. That attitude, the head of inter-religious affairs for the American Jewish Committee, Rabbi David Rosen, said, would "develop a very healthy, productive relationship."

"I think that generally within the Jewish community, they'll recognize that in Pope Benedict XVI we have a friend," Rabbi Rosen said by phone from Israel yesterday.

Indeed, much of the perception of Benedict as intolerant toward other faiths was the result of a misinterpretation of his 2000 encyclical "Dominus Iesus," the director of interfaith affairs at the Anti-Defamation League, Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor, said. In the encyclical, Cardinal Ratzinger reasserted the fundamental church doctrine that salvation is attainable only through Roman Catholicism.

Of the document, Rabbi Bretton-Granatoor said: "I don't believe it really has anything to do with his understanding of Jews and Judaism."

"Dominus Iesus" was directed more at the problems of orthodoxy within Christendom, including deviations by Protestant sects, Rabbi Bretton-Granatoor said. It was also issued as a directive to errant factions within the Catholic Church, particularly those embracing syncretism - the attempt to blend doctrine with local customs in places where Catholicism is growing.

The encyclical, Rabbi Bretton-Granatoor said, should not be read as hostility toward Jews on Benedict's part. "In his mind ... Judaism exists on an entirely different plane than any other religion," he said.

And because Cardinal Ratzinger, as head of the church's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, helped provide the theological underpinnings of the conciliatory overtures to Judaism during John Paul II's papacy, there was no reason to suspect any ill will toward Jews on Benedict's part, the director of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, said. "I'm convinced he will carry on that tradition," Mr. Foxman said.

Indeed, further indications that Benedict intends to continue John Paul's legacy emerged from Rome yesterday, where the new pontiff reconfirmed all of the heads of the Vatican Curia who had served under his predecessor, the Daily Telegraph reported.

If Benedict's ecclesiastical past boded well for the church's future relations with Judaism, at first glance his personal history - particularly his coerced membership in the Hitler Youth as a teenager in Germany - might not. There seems to be a consensus, however, that Benedict's biography is not cause for concern among the Jewish community.

To the contrary, in the view of the Park East Synagogue's Rabbi Arthur Schneier, "Because Benedict grew up in a country that inflicted tyranny," the rabbi said, "he has a greater appreciation of freedom and liberty."

Rabbi Bretton-Granatoor, too, saw some advantage in Benedict being a German. "It's not like I have to explain anti-Semitism to somebody who's never experienced it," he said.

Indeed, a founding member of the Interfaith Theological Forum of the Pope John Paul II Center at Washington, Rabbi Leon Klenicki, said Benedict expressed great sensitivity to Jewish theological questions arising from the Holocaust.

Rabbi Klenicki, who met several times with Cardinal Ratzinger, recounted a discussion with the prelate on the question: "How could God be silent when 1 million children went to the gas chambers?" That inquiry, Rabbi Klenicki said, presents a "very serious problem" in the Jewish community, "and not so much in the Christian community." Yet Cardinal Ratzinger, Rabbi Klenicki said, "listened with total attention and fervor, realizing the pain of what I was talking about."

In Cardinal Ratzinger, Rabbi Klenicki said, he found an empathetic man who seeks and appreciates the presence of God in every person, regardless of creed. "He was very attentive ... listening to you with all his heart," he said.

That thoughtful aspect of Benedict would be well-received by Jews, Rabbi Neusner said, because of the honor Judaism accords serious religious study. "I think the people will really appreciate him, because they appreciate intellect ... and they honor learning," he said.

Rabbi Neusner congratulated Benedict on his new post. "I wrote him a letter saying that, as he knows ... Benedict means 'blessed' - and that's my hope for his pontificate," Rabbi Neusner said. "Somewhere within a few months, there'll be a very gracious reply," the rabbi predicted.

http://www.nysun.com/foreign/how-future-pope-won-the-respect-of-jewish-leaders/12646/