Vatican seeks to calm Jewish anger over Polish priest - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Sat., August 11, 2007 Av 27, 5767

Israel Time: 01:52 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Print Edition

Diplomacy

Defense

Real Estate

Arts & Leisure

Jewish World

National

Sports

Advertising

Magazine

Week's End

Opinion

Business

Rosner's Domain

Anglo File

Travel

Q&A

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Vatican seeks to calm Jewish anger over Polish priest

By Associated Press

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican sought to calm Jewish anger yesterday over the pope's meeting with a prominent Polish priest accused of anti-Semitism, declaring the encounter did not imply any change in the Church's desire for good relations with Jews.

The Vatican issued the assurances after Pope Benedict XVI's brief meeting Sunday with the Rev. Tadeusz Rydzyk, which drew protests from worldwide Jewish organizations.

	Advertisement

A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, said the pope has spoken out often against anti-Semitism, and has frequently expressed the desire for close relations between Catholics and Jews.

Benedict visited a synagogue in his native Germany shortly after assuming the papacy in 2005, and is scheduled to stop at a monument in Vienna for Holocaust victims during a trip to Austria next month.

Photos showing the pope at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo with Rydzyk, along with two other Polish priests, were published in Polish newspapers on Tuesday.

Vatican officials said the three were brought to the pope, along with other pilgrims, after the pontiff's weekly public blessing Sunday at his summer home.

Rydzyk, who runs a conservative media empire that includes the Catholic station Radio Maryja, was allegedly caught on tape suggesting that Jews are greedy, and that Polish President Lech Kaczynski is subservient to Jewish lobbyists.

The remarks allegedly were made in the spring, but they only surfaced in July in the weekly magazine Wprost. Rydzyk has rejected accusations of anti-Semitism, and said he didn't intend to offend anyone.

"There should be no place in the Church for someone who spreads anti-Semitism, said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, following the pope's meeting with Rydzyk.

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	A slippery slide
	The roads to pure pleasure are many and varied at the Holon water park.


	A daring insight
	The philosophy of Rabbi Shagar has found a place in the hearts of many.

Today Online


	Ten wounded in shooting attack in Old City of Jerusalem
	Responses: 436


	Beilin: We must reach deal with Hamas prior to Mideast summit
	Responses: 313


	Jews, Catholics bid farewell to Jewish-born French cardinal
	Responses: 208


	Yoel Marcus: Mideast summit is Bush's last chance to defeat terror
	Responses: 152


	Benny Ziffer: Hebron evacuation was not a battle of good vs. evil
	Responses: 108


	Rosner: Orthodox Union should object to Jews' insubordination
	Responses: 26

More Headlines
01:18 Assailant in J'lem attack identified as Israeli Arab


22:34 High Court bars Gazan students from studying in West Bank


01:04 Hamas announces formation of new naval coast guard unit


21:13 Left-wing activists, Palestinians cut hole in separation fence


20:37 Israel collaborator appears after Hamas claims Fatah killed him


17:48 Germany assesses how Nazi past influences police force


21:04 Erekat: PM to list 'major' W. Bank checkpoints slated for removal


01:42 Six people killed in five separate traffic accidents over weekend


21:54 Over 10,000 attend global Islamic movement's West Bank rally


17:41 At least 10 wounded in Gaza as top Fatah officials arrested