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Pope Benedict. (AP) Last update - 21:31 24/02/2008 Rebel Catholics: Pope caved on prayer to convert Jews By Reuters Tags: Vatican, Catholic Church  Rebel Catholic traditionalists who champion the old Latin mass have accused Pope Benedict of caving in to "foreign pressures" by dropping negative comments about Jews from a rare prayer in the Church's official language. The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), which was expelled from the Church in 1988, denounced the change in a Good Friday prayer that it said was one of the oldest in Christianity, dating back to the third century. On Feb. 5, the Vatican revised the prayer, removing a reference to Jewish "blindness" over Christ and deleting a phrase asking God to "remove the veil from their hearts." Advertisement Jews criticized the new text because it still says they should recognize Jesus Christ as the savior of all mankind. It asks that "all Israel may be saved" and keeps an underlying call to conversion that Jewish leaders had wanted omitted. "Following foreign pressures on the Catholic Church, the Pope felt obligated to change the very venerable Prayer for the Jews which is an integral part of the Good Friday liturgy," the SSPX news service DICI said in a report at the weekend. "While the necessity of accepting the Messiah to be saved has been retained, one can only profoundly deplore this change," it said. DICI did not elaborate on the "foreign pressures." The change in the prayer will only be heard by a tiny minority of Catholics who attend services on Good Friday, the day marking Jesus Christ's crucifixion, that are held in Latin rather than in their local languages as usual. Rabbi supports Pope Changing the Good Friday text was necessary after Pope Benedict allowed wider use of the old Latin mass last year. The Good Friday prayer said in local languages was revised in 1970 to drop all references that Jews had found offensive. Widening the use of the old Latin or Tridentine mass was partly meant to attract followers of the SSPX back to Rome. The SSPX claims about a million followers, a small fraction of the 1.1-billion strong Church. The leadership of the Swiss-based SSPX is still resolutely opposed to reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), including changes in liturgy and in relations with Jews. The Vatican says they must accept the Council to be readmitted. The SSPX was expelled from the Church in 1988 when its founder, French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without Vatican approval. Jewish groups have criticized the new text of the Latin prayer as offensive. An assembly representing Conservative rabbis worldwide expressed dismay over it and called on the Vatican to clarify the text's meaning. But the Pope received support from a prominent Jewish scholar on Saturday. Rabbi Jacob Neusner of New York wrote in the German Catholic daily Die Tagespost: "Israel prays for non-Jews, so the other monotheists - including the Catholic Church - should have the same right without anyone feeling hurt." Sometimes called "the Pope's favorite rabbi", Neusner was frequently cited in Benedict's 2007 book Jesus of Nazareth. Related articles: Vatican rejects criticism of new prayer for Jewish conversion Pope nixes reference to Jews` `blindness` over Jesus in prayer Wiesenthal Center urges Vatican to quickly remove offensive prayer More Jewish World news and features Bookmark to del.icio.us   Personalized workout Boutique gyms is the next big thing - for those who can pay. No to non-violence 'Human chain' against the blockade on gaza yields disappointing turnout.   1.   POPE JOHN PAUL II MUST BE DISSAPPOINTED 19:25  |  indrajaya 24/02/08   2.   As a Catholic, I tell you, these `rebels` are not Catholics 19:39  |  Maynard 24/02/08   3.   Jacob Neusner is as much a Rabbi as I am a Pope 19:39  |  Netanel 24/02/08   4.   Maynard: I completely disagree with you 20:00  |  American Catholic 24/02/08   5.   That Prayer 21:21  |  English Resident 24/02/08   6.   His authority! 21:51  |  Paul 24/02/08   7.   The Scriptures were written by Jews! 21:54  |  Paul 24/02/08   8.   Not this story AGAIN? 22:03  |  Dror 24/02/08   9.   as a non-catholic i agree 22:22  |  B. 24/02/08   10.   To be a religious person 22:23  |  B. 24/02/08   11.   Saul of Tarsus 22:27  |  Hasan 24/02/08   12.   Very interesting! 23:23  |  hollingworth 24/02/08   13.   educating Maynard 00:10  |  hollingsworth 25/02/08   14.   It`s Not "Caving In" to Omit to Offend Other People 00:12  |  MIKE 25/02/08   15.   check those eyes...holmes needs some sleep 00:29  |  greg 25/02/08   16.   Show Me 00:59  |  Rav Harley 25/02/08   17.   I`d rather be agnostic 01:10  |  Moishe Kadish 25/02/08   18.   The famously erudite Prof. Neusner 01:22  |  A Jew 25/02/08   19.   To HASAN # 11 01:34  |  EGW 25/02/08   20.   READ THIS ARTICLE AND DON`T LOSE SLEEP 02:07  |  Gold Coast Bob 25/02/08   21.   Saintly Pope Benedict Friend of the Jews 03:20  |  PK 25/02/08   22.   Paul - But he does 03:41  |  Reader 25/02/08   23.   Mike - I find aspect of the torah offensive, will they change it? 03:43  |  HIM 25/02/08   24.   Hasan, #11 Saul of Tarsus 04:59  |  Raul 25/02/08   25.   This change was made 38 years ago! 05:13  |  Shlomo 25/02/08   26.   #4 As a Catholic Jew I am totally in agreement 06:58  |  Yaakov Sullivan 25/02/08   27.   LIKE DUH 10:43  |  DANNY 25/02/08   28.   LOL Like the Church isn`t political! 12:23  |  petra 25/02/08   29.   FOR ALL CATHOLICS JESUS WAS A JEW, HIS MOTHER & FATHER BOTH JEWS! 12:40  |  petra 25/02/08   30.   Holy Roman Empire 17:25  |  Nette Horne 25/02/08   31.   YAAKOV SULLIVAN, KISS MY JEWISH ASS!! 18:23  |  A Jew 25/02/08   32.   #29 21:12  |  barb 25/02/08

Today Online Gaza protest of Israeli siege yields disappointing turnout Responses: 439 Bradley Burston: Palestine's doomsday weapon - non-violence - fails its test Responses: 187 Canadian Jew loses bid to have 'Jerusalem, Israel' in passport Responses: 119 Obama`s top adviser: Israel and Arabs must negotiate own peace Responses: 143 Akiva Eldar: AIPAC does not even bother to rally for two-state solution Responses: 73 Rosner's Domain "Reasonable people can agree or disagree on meeting Ahmadinejad" Clinton allies say: Obama bad for Israel (WTR) Iran Could Have Enough Uranium for a Bomb by Year's End (WTR) Poll: Is it time for Israel to end the blockade in Gaza? McCain, a supporter of Israel with a 'Judeophile' brother More Headlines 09:25 High Court upholds Katsav sex crimes plea bargain 07:55 Iran ordered to pay $33 million to murdered Israeli diplomat's family 07:39 ANALYSIS: In the end blood was shed in Sderot, not Gaza 02:13 Report: Widow of slain Hezbollah terrorist blames Syria for killing 06:46 Store manager fined for employing Jewish workers on Shabbat 07:26 Israeli diplomat postpones meeting after Costa Rica recognizes Palestinian state 06:22 Iran UN envoy: Exiled group feeding U.S. lies on weapons plan 03:08 Olmert aides: Demonstration in Gaza 'much ado about nothing' 01:39 Will Obama be supportive of an Israel controlled by a Likud government? 06:06 Australian soccer player to be disciplined for dressing as Hitler 08:35 Vets mend sea turtle's limb in first operation of its kind in Israel Previous Editions Select Day 25 feb 24 feb 22 feb 21 feb 20 feb 19 feb 18 feb 17 feb 15 feb 14 feb 13 feb 12 feb

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