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Last update - 21:12 10/02/2008
Rabbis fear prayer to convert Jews will harm ties with Vatican
By Reuters
Tags: Vatican, Prayer 

Conservative rabbis could vote this week on a resolution warning that a Latin prayer backed by Pope Benedict XVI, urging Jews to embrace Christ, could endanger strengthening Jewish-Catholic ties.

"We fear that the new Latin text ... may cast a harsh shadow over the spirit of mutual respect and collaboration that has marked these past four decades, making it more difficult for Jews to engage constructively in dialogue with Catholics," a draft of the resolution reads.

The draft could go to a vote as early as Monday, when 400 members of the Rabbinical Assembly, representing Judaism's conservative movement, will be in Washington for their annual meeting, assembly officials said.
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For many Jews, the issue jeopardizes the rapprochement that has occurred since the 1960s, when the Vatican moved to clear Jews of blame in Christ's death and condemned anti-Semitism.

Believers are likely to keep a close watch on Pope Benedict and his leadership of the Catholic Church after the late Pope John Paul II, who was known for reaching out to Jewish leaders over the Holocaust.

The resolution by the rabbis reflects deep unhappiness over Pope Benedict's decision to revive a Latin prayer, to be heard by a small minority of Catholics during Good Friday services, which says that Jews should recognize Jesus Christ as the savior of all humanity.

Controversy erupted over the prayer after Pope Benedict moved last year to revive the old-style Latin Mass, along with a missal, or prayer book, that had been phased out in reforms of the 1960s.

"This appears to be a step backward from issues that have long ago been dealt with between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people," said Rabbi Joel H. Meyers, the assembly's executive vice president.

Last week, the Vatican announced Pope Benedict had ordered changes to the prayer, deleting a reference to Jews' "blindness" over Christ and removing a phrase that asked God to "remove the veil from their hearts."

According to an unofficial translation from Latin, the new prayer says in part: "Let us also pray for the Jews. So that God our Lord enlightens their hearts so that they recognize Jesus Christ savior of all men."

Even in its altered version, the prayer remains problematic for some Jewish groups.

"It's hard to dictate to the Vatican," Meyers said. "One would hope that they would take another look at this."

Following the prayer's revision, the Vatican's top cardinal on relations with Jews said the prayer should not be an obstacle to interfaith dialogue.

"This does not mean we are embarking on a mission (to convert Jews). We are giving witness to our faith," Cardinal Walter Kasper said in an interview last week.

The vast majority of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics hear mass in their local languages, and only several hundred thousand traditionalists would hear the Latin prayer on Good Friday, celebrated this year on March 21.

The Jewish assembly, which represents some conservative rabbis around the world, begins its meeting on Sunday.


Related articles:
  • Vatican rejects criticism of new prayer for Jewish conversion
  • Vatican envoy: Ties with Israel in decline due to broken promises

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      1.   I pray for Christian blindness to genocides in Africa & S America 21:04  |  Alain 10/02/08
      2.   What`s next? 21:34  |  leo 10/02/08
      3.   AND FOR THE VATICAN`S NEXT NUMBER 21:39  |  DALE 10/02/08
      4.   Why don`t the Rabbis 21:50  |  Chris Linthwaite 10/02/08
      5.   How can you deny us Catholics of our faith? 21:51  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/02/08
      6.   What`s the Big Deal? 21:52  |  MIKE 10/02/08
      7.   can`t take it 21:56  |  al 10/02/08
      8.   Here we go again,the good rabbis are attention seekers! 22:04  |  lakshmi 10/02/08
      9.   What nasty idea 22:07  |  google 10/02/08
      10.   Jews should remove the idolatry commandment 22:12  |  Hindu 10/02/08
      11.   Reason #33040455 that Christians should join Muslim 22:14  |  ME 10/02/08
      12.   look around 22:14  |  al 10/02/08
      13.   Don`t worry...when the messiah come all people will be jew... 22:42  |  Momo 10/02/08
      14.   Dear Chris Linthwaite 22:46  |  HS 10/02/08
      15.   Let me get this right... 22:48  |  nina 10/02/08
      16.   Sorry...Buddhist and Hindus are invited too 22:49  |  Momo 10/02/08
      17.   All the RAbbis need to point out is that Jews embraced Christ 22:52  |  before He was Christ 10/02/08
      18.   # 11, Do your homework. Muslims do not know the same Jesus that 22:54  |  Christians do. 10/02/08
      19.   pray in secret 22:57  |  alfred youngberg 10/02/08
      20.   by all means! 22:57  |  hollingsworth 10/02/08
      21.   Vatacin response 23:01  |  William C Kelley 10/02/08
      22.   Jews helping Jews meet Jews 23:01  |  hollingworth 10/02/08
      23.   rabbis fear prayer 23:13  |  joseph 10/02/08
      24.   Conservative Rabbis should lay low. 23:14  |  Avi Yerushalmi 10/02/08
      25.   10 Hindu,good post,this emphasis on idolatory is misguided! 23:19  |  lakshmi 10/02/08
      26.   to convert Jews 23:21  |  Shmuelshachor 10/02/08
      27.   Plenty mixed Jewish Catholic marraiges. 23:27  |  Stephen. 10/02/08
      28.   Mr Hindu 23:37  |  HS 10/02/08
      29.   Re #4 already happened 23:52  |  DJStahl 10/02/08
      30.   "clear the Jews of blame..." 23:52  |  Nathan 10/02/08
      31.   Re #4 Another common slander 23:56  |  DJStahl 10/02/08
      32.   To Stephen 00:02  |  HS 11/02/08
      33.   Re #10, #18 Not seriously religious 00:05  |  DJStahl 11/02/08
      34.   Momo...and the Muslims? 00:18  |  Khalid 11/02/08
      35.   VATICAN PRAYER 00:33  |  MAINDUDE 11/02/08
      36.   Why so much fuss 00:38  |  HS 11/02/08
      37.   #18 Christians do. Miilions of Christians 00:43  |  Maureen Ann 11/02/08
      38.   Rabbi`s fear prayer to convert Jews 01:02  |  David 11/02/08
      39.   Khalid 01:14  |  Dante Alighieri 11/02/08
      40.   Great responses 01:29  |  Denise 11/02/08
      41.   even look at the words to alainu and other prayers 01:41  |  openminded 11/02/08
      42.   HS 01:51  |  A Buddhist-Humanist 11/02/08
      43.   Momo - Invited to what? 01:51  |  Hindu 11/02/08
      44.   DJStahl - What are you talking about? 01:58  |  Hindu 11/02/08
      45.   #31 DJStahl 01:59  |  Chris Linthwaite 11/02/08
      46.   Maureen Ann 02:02  |  Secular 11/02/08
      47.   #14 HS 02:16  |  Chris Linthwaite 11/02/08
      48.   And exactly who were the first "Christians"? 02:56  |  Mark Lincoln 11/02/08
      49.   28 HS,Zubin Mehta is a Parsi from India,which means he is of the 03:14  |  lakshmi 11/02/08
      50.   maureen ann asks... 04:01  |  hollingsworth 11/02/08
      51.   To#47Chris Linthwaite 04:02  |  HS 11/02/08
      52.   #42 04:44  |  HS 11/02/08
      53.   Re #44 Opinions and values 05:12  |  DJStahl 11/02/08
      54.   Re #44 values and opinions (2) 05:15  |  DJStahl 11/02/08
      55.   Re #31 deicide, etc. 05:25  |  DJStahl 11/02/08
      56.   Re #45 deicide, etc. (2) 05:37  |  DJStahl 11/02/08
      57.   TRYING 2 ties COULD IT BE 05:46  |  TOBIA 11/02/08
      58.   HINDUE GET NEW GLASSES 05:51  |  TOBIA 11/02/08
      59.   DAVID 05:55  |  TOBIA 11/02/08
      60.   to Tobia 17:12  |  hollingsworth 11/02/08
      61.   djstahl 17:24  |  hollingsworth 11/02/08
      62.   djstahl again 17:32  |  hollingsworth 11/02/08
      63.   Re #49 Nonsense, none of the monotheistic religions is Manichean 17:57  |  DJStahl 11/02/08
      64.   Re #61, 62 Rome, etc. (2) 18:35  |  DJStahl 11/02/08
      65.   answering djstahl 21:31  |  hollingsworth 11/02/08
      66.   djstahl continued 21:36  |  hollingsworth 11/02/08
      67.   3rd and hopefully last to djstahl 21:38  |  hollingsworth 11/02/08
      68.   Re #61, 62 Rome, etc. (1) (rev.) 22:35  |  DJStahl 11/02/08
      69.   Re #65-7 Pilate`s palace, etc. 22:45  |  DJStahl 11/02/08
      70.   Re #65-7 Pilate`s palace (2) 22:46  |  DJStahl 11/02/08
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