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Last update - 22:22 10/04/2008
Vatican cardinal: Jews too 'emotional' over Good Friday prayer
By Reuters

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"The reactions from Jews are in large part not motivated in a rational way, but in an emotional way. But one should not write them off too quickly as being caused by hypersensitivity," Kasper wrote in Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

In February the Vatican revised a contested Latin prayer used by traditionalist Catholics on Good Friday, the day marking Jesus Christ's crucifixion, removing a reference to Jewish "blindness" over Christ and deleting a phrase asking God to "remove the veil from their heart."

Jews criticized the new version because it still says they should recognize Jesus Christ as the savior of all men. It asks that "all Israel may be saved" and Jews said it kept an underlying call to conversion that they had wanted removed.

Kasper said he realized that for many Jews, the collective memory of forced conversions in past centuries "is still alive."

"The new formulation of the prayer ... doesn't say anything truly new, but just expresses what until now was assumed to be obvious," Kasper wrote in the Italian-language article.

The reference to saving Israel was "eschatological", a reference to a branch of theology dealing with the destiny of all humanity at the end of the world.

Kasper said the Catholic Church, unlike some evangelical Churches, did not have an institutionalized directive to convert Jews although Catholics are always encouraged to express their faith openly while showing respect.

Last week, the Vatican issued a statement on the prayer saying it "in no way intends to indicate a change in the Catholic Church's regard for the Jews."

The Vatican said the Church's relations with Jews were still based on the 1965 Second Vatican Council statement Nostra Aetate, which repudiated the concept of collective Jewish guilt for Christ's death and began dialogue.

"One must always be mindful that dialogue between Jews and Christians will remain, by its nature, always difficult and fragile and that it demands a great amount of sensitivity from both sides," Kasper wrote.

Next week in the United States, Pope Benedict will meet American Jewish leaders and make a brief visit to the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan.

Related articles:
  • Vatican rejects criticism of new prayer for Jewish conversion
  • Rebel Catholics: Pope caved on prayer to convert Jews
  • Pope to visit N.Y. synagogue led by Holocaust survivor

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      1.   Vatican too `stupid` over Good Friday prayer 22:15  |  Gee 09/04/08
      2.   VATICAN & EMOTION 22:27  |  Kooky Dennt 09/04/08
      3.   Too emotional 22:51  |  Moshe 09/04/08
      4.   I agree some people have been too......... 22:53  |  Deborah 09/04/08
      5.   Irrationality 23:20  |  Gideon 09/04/08
      6.   Too sensitive? 23:24  |  Sam 09/04/08
      7.   The Vatican`s response is concerning 23:24  |  Mary 09/04/08
      8.   Mr Cardinal you single us out, you have inquisitions against us 23:51  |  x-ray 09/04/08
      9.   Why they dont prey for the conversion of other religious groups? 00:06  |  Saint Peter 10/04/08
      10.   PRAYER SHOULD SAY:ALL NATIONS SHOULD RECOGNIZE TRUE JEWISH MESIAH 00:07  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 10/04/08
      11.   I will agree, gee 00:12  |  hollingsworth 10/04/08
      12.   Christ can be the saviour of `all men` as long as... 01:09  |  Edith 10/04/08
      13.   Heaven is angry at the ignoramuses & Co. 01:10  |  Emasculate Conceptio 10/04/08
      14.   #1 01:13  |  Edith 10/04/08
      15.   Too emotional 01:16  |  Joe 10/04/08
      16.   Too hypocritical, actually 01:30  |  Aaron Levitt 10/04/08
      17.   savyor of all men 01:42  |  Shmuelshachor 10/04/08
      18.   Good Friday prayer 01:48  |  An Israeli 10/04/08
      19.   Trite quibble, it seems, compared to Islamic totalitarianism! 02:20  |  Akiva P 10/04/08
      20.   Catholics a little touch about Hagee 02:27  |  Aphemia 10/04/08
      21.   God who removes the idolatry of worshiping a human 02:29  |  Atle 10/04/08
      22.   Hollingsworth 03:04  |  Gary 10/04/08
      23.   for Aphemia`s information 03:31  |  hollingsworth 10/04/08
      24.   Atle, how do you reconcile the worship of christ with,... 03:52  |  Akiva P 10/04/08
      25.   I am sought of them 03:56  |  roger wallace 10/04/08
      26.   yeah, 1500 years of persecution will do that to a person 04:42  |  Jon 10/04/08
      27.   Don`t Jews have the same thing? 04:44  |  Jon 10/04/08
      28.   Cardinal Kasper is living in darkness 04:47  |  Frank 10/04/08
      29.   The Catholic Church and the darkness 05:01  |  Frank 10/04/08
      30.   I Have to Agree With the Cardinal 05:11  |  MIKE 10/04/08
      31.   no man comes to Father [Yahweh] except through Christ 05:23  |  marilyn 10/04/08
      32.   Re; #10 VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 05:28  |  Yosemite 10/04/08
      33.   The true darkness of the Catholic Church 05:43  |  Frank 10/04/08
      34.   how many Jews died at the hands of the Roman Church from Jersu 05:55  |  r 10/04/08
      35.   how many Jews died at the hands of the Roman Church from Jersu 05:55  |  r 10/04/08
      36.   Oh, so that`s where they got it 05:55  |  hollingsworth 10/04/08
      37.   but Muslims arent over Fitna and comics? hmm 05:57  |  David 10/04/08
      38.   There is Only One God/Allah 06:05  |  Just Facts 10/04/08
      39.   Let me try again 06:08  |  hollingsgold 10/04/08
      40.   Jews respect the legitimacy of other religions, Catholics dont. 06:12  |  Joe 10/04/08
      41.   Why don`t we complain about the evangelicals? 07:18  |  Charlie Hall 10/04/08
      42.   mike Jews do not look for conversions know your facts better pls 07:53  |  arthur 10/04/08
      43.   Too emotional or Smart? 08:04  |  Ori 10/04/08
      44.   SPOT ON CHARLIE #29 10:31  |  wally 10/04/08
      45.   An anti-missile shield for the Vatican? 10:39  |  Natallie Durson 10/04/08
      46.   # 26 Just Facts 10:40  |  wally 10/04/08
      47.   To Joe # 28 I think you have lost the plot 10:47  |  wally 10/04/08
      48.   Sensitivity has never been the strong point of Mr. Ratzinger 10:59  |  Cornelia 10/04/08
      49.   #28 joe 10:59  |  catholic 10/04/08
      50.   Vatican 11:02  |  Italiano 10/04/08
      51.   In any other context you would call it brainwashing 11:11  |  x-ray 10/04/08
      52.   Good Friday 13:05  |  Naim S. Mahlab 10/04/08
      53.   Emotions... 13:20  |  Gabe 10/04/08
      54.   ori 36 14:24  |  potobac 10/04/08
      55.   #39 the Durson Person 15:01  |  Gideon 10/04/08
      56.   This whole matter is nothing but a storm in a teapot 15:15  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/04/08
      57.   The seed 15:21  |  American Christian 10/04/08
      58.   Mr. Mahlab on murdering of Jews 15:24  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/04/08
      59.   r from nowhere speaks as an unknowledgable protestant 15:26  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/04/08
      60.   Aphemia on hagee and the great whore 15:36  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/04/08
      61.   Aphemia on hagee and the great whore 15:37  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/04/08
      62.   Sullivan as a Whore of Hate 16:10  |  B 10/04/08
      63.   The Pope must deal with his fundamentalists, which Jews don`t do 16:18  |  Tosefta 10/04/08
      64.   "Too Emotional?" 16:39  |  JordanisPalestine 10/04/08
      65.   To Saint Peter # 9 16:41  |  JordanisPalestine 10/04/08
      66.   The Vatican 17:17  |  Michael T 10/04/08
      67.   What about Muslims too emotional???? 17:25  |  David 10/04/08
      68.   They`re praying to a false G-d anyway... 18:24  |  nunya 10/04/08
      69.   Gideon .. .. If you can`t follow this reply, don`t bother to repy 18:25  |  Natallie Durson 10/04/08
      70.   #17 Shmuelshachor 18:32  |  JordanisPalestine 10/04/08
      71.   To 26 and 34 18:35  |  JordanisPalestine 10/04/08
      72.   what about our prayers 18:40  |  margaret 10/04/08
      73.   #41 Charlie Hall 18:44  |  JordanisPalestine 10/04/08
      74.   # 56 - Yaakov Sullivan 18:47  |  JordanisPalestine 10/04/08
      75.   JordanisPalestine #74 18:59  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/04/08
      76.   Durson, again 19:18  |  Gideon 10/04/08
      77.   #68 20:04  |  RAK 10/04/08
      78.   Model "Counter Prayer" 20:09  |  Shlomo 10/04/08
      79.   charlie hall makes a good point 20:14  |  hollingsworth 10/04/08
      80.   To Jon (Jews do not have the same thing) 20:15  |  Shlomo 10/04/08
      81.   joe is right and wrong 20:19  |  hollingsworth 10/04/08
      82.   true, yaakov 20:23  |  hollingsworth 10/04/08
      83.   #7 Mary; Vatican under Pope Benedict whatever number 20:25  |  Max Zinger,P.Chimist 10/04/08
      84.   Cornelia is wrong too 20:26  |  hollingsworth 10/04/08
      85.   Baloney, yaakov 20:39  |  hollingsworth 10/04/08
      86.   In Case You Thought Hollingsworth Wasn`t Racist... 20:42  |  JP 10/04/08
      87.   In Threads Like This You See Whose Not Just "Anti-Zionist" 20:50  |  JP 10/04/08
      88.   #85 Wow - Talk about a victim complex 21:01  |  JP 10/04/08
      89.   at moshe "3" 21:05  |  Funny 10/04/08
      90.   Jewish critiques of Christianity and Islam 21:11  |  Haldrik 10/04/08
      91.   Shlomo - #80 21:20  |  Jon 10/04/08
      92.   Max Zinger, P. Chimist *83* 21:29  |  Habakuk 10/04/08
      93.   #86 JP 21:31  |  Labhras 10/04/08
      94.   Church of Hitler Youth 21:50  |  Barry S. Roffman 10/04/08
      95.   Some Jews have no clue how the Vatican works 21:54  |  Joe 10/04/08
      96.   Say, JP 22:10  |  hollingsworth 10/04/08
      97.   Judaism acknowledges the legitimacy of other religions 22:14  |  Haldrik 10/04/08
      98.   Benedict (only the) 16th 22:18  |  Wolf von dem Beck 10/04/08
      99.   hollingsworth #85 Total BS 22:34  |  Gee 10/04/08
      100.   The comments by Hollingsworth demonstrate why the prayer is evil 22:39  |  Joe 10/04/08
      101.   msg from practicing catholic 22:52  |  alanna 10/04/08
      102.   #88 Hollingsworth Agrees He`s Being Racist. Who Am I To Argue? 23:23  |  JP 10/04/08
      103.   they prey for religious groups they think they are affiliated 23:27  |  arthur 10/04/08
      104.   #88 - As long as we agree, who am I to argue? 23:40  |  JP 10/04/08
      105.   VATICAN ATTITUDE 23:44  |  ehud 10/04/08
      106.   Good Friday Prayer 23:46  |  RonH 10/04/08
      107.   #33 Frank, because most christians... 23:47  |  Edith 10/04/08
      108.   We Flog Religion Too Much 00:04  |  Chris 11/04/08
      109.   hollingsworth 00:35  |  17 11/04/08
      110.   Just Facts (38) giving the key word: submission. Submission 00:36  |  Karl 11/04/08
      111.   Agreement with Cardinal 01:12  |  Jeff 11/04/08
      112.   Karl of Himmelreich Germany @#92 01:17  |  Akiva P 11/04/08
      113.   Karl of Himmelreich, Germany @#92 01:19  |  Akiva P 11/04/08
      114.   Gee, are you stupid! 01:24  |  Akiva P 11/04/08
      115.   and we`d lke our stuff back too 01:28  |  Ben Kochba 11/04/08
      116.   A reason to worry 01:31  |  Edith 11/04/08
      117.   #38, Just Facts 04:44  |  Charles M. 11/04/08
      118.   Haaretz censored my post, Joe #89, by delayed it 04:45  |  Joe 11/04/08
      119.   re 48 Natty D`s revisionist history. 05:51  |  Alan the real one 11/04/08
      120.   Re 69 That Natty D Is a funny women 05:53  |  Alan the real one 11/04/08
      121.   re100 2000 years is enough 06:05  |  Alan the real one 11/04/08
      122.   Akiva 07:11  |  kathy 11/04/08
      123.   G-d`s view and the view of the Catholic Church 07:13  |  Bobby the Jew 11/04/08
      124.   What`s next, Xtian mobs killing Jews? 07:33  |  Motke 11/04/08
      125.   thanks Aaron 14:51  |  nath 11/04/08
      126.   I`ll tell you what my prayer is, barry 17:29  |  hollingsworth 11/04/08
      127.   to #49 Catholic 19:03  |  alanna 11/04/08
      128.   "There is only one true religion" 01:41  |  Zooog 12/04/08
      129.   Christianity Is Nearly Dead In Europe 06:37  |  Yosemite 12/04/08
      130.   Time to upgrade 14:13  |  Shimon Cleopas 12/04/08
      131.   Another Way of Looking at It ,,,,,,, 06:45  |  MIKE 13/04/08
      132.   alan the real one 121 21:19  |  potobac 15/04/08
      133.   Jews too emotional over "Good Friday"prayer 02:09  |  Bernadette 29/04/08
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