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Pope Benedict XVI meeting with PM Ehud Olmert in the Vatican in December 2006. (AP/Archive)
Last update - 01:15 19/07/2007
Vatican: We may drop revived prayer offensive to Jews
By Reuters

ROME - The most senior official in the Vatican after the Pope on Wednesday suggested that a highly controversial prayer for the conversion of the Jews could be dropped from the re-introduced Latin-language rite.

Speaking at a news conference, Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone was asked about Pope Benedict's recent decree allowing a wider use of the old Latin missal, or prayer book, that was phased out after the reforms of the so-called Second Vatican Council which sat between 1962 and 1965.

Some Jewish leaders have sharply criticized the decree, which revived the possible use of a passage from the old Latin prayer book for Good Friday calling for Jews to be converted.
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Bertone, who is secretary of state and ranks second only to the Pope in the Vatican hierarchy, said "we could simply study" the possibility of substituting the prayer.

The Good Friday prayer asks that God remove the "veil" from Jewish heart so that they would recognize Jesus Christ.

Bertone said the prayer that many Jews have found offensive could be substituted with one introduced into church rituals in the 1970s and which makes no reference to conversion of Jews.

"This could be decided and this would resolve all the problems," said Bertone, who was speaking near the northern Italian area where the Pope is on a mountain holiday. His news conference was televised live.

Abe Foxman, national director of the Anti Defamation League, a U.S.-based Jewish rights group, said Wednesday "I am delighted that the Vatican is listening to our concerns."

"I hope that Cardinal Bertone's public conjectures will shortly result in putting Catholic-Jewish relations back on the road they were on before all this," he said.

Benedict's decree, issued on July 7, authorized wider use of the old Latin missal, a move which traditionalist Catholics had demanded for decades but which Jews and other Christian groups said could set back inter-religious dialogue.

The move by the German-born Pontiff raised fears in some liberal Catholic quarters that it could split the Church and roll back the clock on various reforms introduced in the 1960s and 1970s and which are opposed by many traditionalists.

Before the Second Vatican Council, Catholic mass and prayers were full of elaborate ritual led in Latin by a priest with his back to the congregation.

The council reduced the formality and had the priest face the faithful to pray in their local language.

Many traditionalists missed the Latin rite's sense of mystery and the centuries-old Gregorian chant that went with it.

Related articles:
Official: Jewish groups overreacted to 'conversion of Jews' prayer
New pope reaches out to Jews at Vatican inaugural Mass
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  1.   Good for the pope for dropping it, but... 20:25  |  Someone 18/07/07
  2.   Thank Heavens 20:47  |  Solon 18/07/07
  3.   Report back In 3 years 21:10  |  Mary 18/07/07
  4.   Well This Is Sort Of Complicated 21:25  |  Yosemite 18/07/07
  5.   Catholic Church must show leadership in todays world 22:01  |  topanga 18/07/07
  6.   Birkat HaMinim?!? 22:21  |  CC 18/07/07
  7.   Converting the JEWS 22:29  |  ottomatik 18/07/07
  8.   Good..now let`s get some reciprocation 22:38  |  Tim 18/07/07
  9.   pray how you like but..RETURN THE TEMPLE RELICS! 22:39  |  Michelle 18/07/07
  10.   no. 1 22:41  |  Ben Israel 18/07/07
  11.   The Birkat Ha`Minim is not a big deal. 22:44  |  AV 18/07/07
  12.   Jews do the same thing in their prayers about nonbelievers! 22:46  |  Hypocrites! 18/07/07
  13.   #1 Was More Dangerous Than Mine 22:48  |  Yosemite 18/07/07
  14.   The Pope has NOT dropped the Antijewish prayer yet. 22:48  |  Joe 18/07/07
  15.   Is the pope a Christian GOD? 22:55  |  Atoo 18/07/07
  16.   It is vital the Vatican remove the Antijewish prayer 22:55  |  Joe 18/07/07
  17.   Pope`s Problem 23:08  |  Rich 18/07/07
  18.   The Veil covering Jewish hearts 23:18  |  Michael 18/07/07
  19.   A non-offensive prayer 23:37  |  Rev. Gretchen 18/07/07
  20.   time Jews drop chesronot Shas from Talmud 23:55  |  Catholic 18/07/07
  21.   The prayer for the conversion of Jews 00:02  |  KUTW 19/07/07
  22.   5. Catholic 00:12  |  Another Catholic 19/07/07
  23.   to Tim #4 who suggests "to examine Jewish Texts". Rabbi Jesus ... 00:58  |  Vittorio 19/07/07
  24.   #4 TIM - TORONTO 01:00  |  * BEN JABO 19/07/07
  25.   #7 Hypocrites - yes U R 01:03  |  * BEN JABO 19/07/07
  26.   I Don`t Have A Problem With The Catholic Prayer! 01:06  |  Yosemite 19/07/07
  27.   As an orthodox Jew, no problem with prayer 01:10  |  Paul 19/07/07
  28.   Tim #4 01:27  |  Joel Weltman 19/07/07
  29.   Hesronot Shas Part 1 01:39  |  Joel Weltman 19/07/07
  30.   Hesronot Shas Part 2 01:40  |  Joel Weltman 19/07/07
  31.   The little Foxman spoils the vine.... 02:37  |  Webster 19/07/07
  32.   Spoke to soon Joel...there was an example posted 02:57  |  Tim 19/07/07
  33.   Don`t jump the gun Ben. 03:01  |  Tim 19/07/07
  34.   The righteous shall be rewarded in heaven. Catholics included. 03:13  |  Yered Shmuel 19/07/07
  35.   So, what is in a prayer? 03:21  |  Maureen Ann 19/07/07
  36.   # 5 - "and we will forgive you"... 03:24  |  Daniel 19/07/07
  37.   "Nonjews are not held to Jewish standards". 03:27  |  Daniel 19/07/07
  38.   Temple Relics 03:48  |  Isaiah 19/07/07
  39.   I Would Not Pray This Prayer 04:02  |  Catholic 19/07/07
  40.   michelle 5 06:08  |  curious 19/07/07
  41.   to #13 Jack O`sullivan the good Catholic 07:45  |  Ari ben Yisrael 19/07/07
  42.   Chesronot Shas is very very ugly 08:09  |  Catholic 19/07/07
  43.   BUSH, BENEDICT, ISRAEL 09:00  |  Indrajaya 19/07/07
  44.   #41 on whose being laughed at 09:53  |  Joe Moer 19/07/07
  45.   this ourageous religion based on a roman myth 10:11  |  victor hardman 19/07/07
  46.   to curious re: temple relics in the vatican 10:26  |  Michelle 19/07/07
  47.   The Talmud doesnt mention Jesus of Nazareth 10:30  |  AV 19/07/07
  48.   In antiquity almost 10% of Jewish men were called "Jesus" 10:35  |  AV 19/07/07
  49.   go to italy and say you are a jew and see what happens 10:40  |  mehmet 19/07/07
  50.   Jesus was a Jew and NEVER desired to be worshiped as an idol! 10:49  |  AV 19/07/07
  51.   Inquisitor as Friend to the Jews? Doubtfull. 10:50  |  Hannah 19/07/07
  52.   #No. 42- Indrajaya 11:00  |  Jew 19/07/07
  53.   #41 indrajaya 11:12  |  jew 19/07/07
  54.   #41 Catholic - I agree 11:28  |  Yonatan 19/07/07
  55.   #18 11:32  |  Anna 19/07/07
  56.   connections 11:35  |  catholic from Spain 19/07/07
  57.   47.Hannah: the inquisitor 11:40  |  KUTW 19/07/07
  58.   # 48, JEW 11:52  |  indrajaya 19/07/07
  59.   VICTIMS OF THE VATIKAN 12:00  |  Iskander 19/07/07
  60.   michelle 45 12:39  |  curious 19/07/07
  61.   Let the Cathos have their religons in peace 12:51  |  Maimon 19/07/07
  62.   #57, KUTW 12:51  |  Hannah 19/07/07
  63.   # 59, ISKANDER 12:53  |  indrajaya 19/07/07
  64.   Indrajaya 13:00  |  Bob 19/07/07
  65.   # 64, (BILLY) BOB (THORNTON) 13:09  |  indrajaya 19/07/07
  66.   #6 "Birkat Ha`minim" 13:16  |  Richard 19/07/07
  67.   So many lapsed Cs to pray for-why waste prayer time onJs becomeCs 13:17  |  Alan 19/07/07
  68.   New pope 13:27  |  sweis Melbourne 19/07/07
  69.   Indrajaya You Really Getting Paid For This? 13:32  |  Yosemite 19/07/07
  70.   No Way Pope! Keep The Prayer And Add Another! 13:40  |  Yosemite 19/07/07
  71.   # 69, YOSSY 13:43  |  indrajaya 19/07/07
  72.   "Vatican: We may drop revived prayer offensive to Jews" - Do that 13:49  |  Johnny