New Pope Reaches Out to Jews: Will He Do the Same for Muslims?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Pope Francis reaches out to Jews

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Like his predecessor, Pope Francis reached out to Rome's Jewish community at the very start of his pontificate, pledging to continue to strengthen the increasingly close ties between Catholics and Jews.

Just hours after he was elected the first Latin American pope in history, Francis sent a letter to Rome's chief rabbi Riccardo di Segni, saying he hoped to "contribute to the progress that relations between Jews and Catholics" have seen since the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council.

Jewish leaders welcomed the election of a pontiff seen as an ally when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires. Israeli President Shimon Peres said Francis would be a "welcome guest in the Holy Land" while Ronald Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress, said the new pope "always had an open ear for our concerns."

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, as he was known before he became pope, showed as Buenos Aires archbishop an inclination to expand interfaith outreach to Islam and Judaism, and made efforts to further close the nearly 1,000-year estrangement with the Orthodox churches.

Francis' predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, worked toward reconciliation between Catholics and Jews during their papacies.

Benedict's first official act as pope was a letter to Rome's Jewish community and he became the second pope in history, after John Paul, to enter a synagogue. However, he met harsh criticism when he lifted the excommunication of a bishop who turned out to be a Holocaust-denier.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-world-europe/20130315/EU--Vatican-Pope-Jews/

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I saw a fascinating article earlier today about the Pope's namesake, St. Francis, and how he approached the Muslim community.

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Just as many Catholics have connected Pope Francis’ humility and austere lifestyle with that of St. Francis of Assisi, those seeking clues on the new pontiff’s approach to Christian-Muslim relations see another example in the iconic namesake.

In a little known episode in 1219, St. Francis left the camp of the crusaders besieging the walled Egyptian city of Damietta and crossed enemy lines to meet with Malik al-Kamil, the young sultan of Egypt.

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Scholars are divided, however, on whether it was peace or proselytizing that motivated St. Francis. The earliest biographies of him depict a more hard line Christian who sought to convert Al-Kamil.

“Francis’s goal was, of course, conversion, not coexistence. And while some 13th-century Christian commentators criticized the crusades for their violence, Francis was not among those critics. His joining up with the 5th Crusade suggests a tacit acceptance of crusading,” said Philip Daileader, a history professor at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.

Many later biographies, however, say St. Francis’ motivation was more dovish.

“He wanted to see the sultan because he was pained, and he felt guilty,” said Jon Sweeney, author of the new book, “Francis of Assisi In His Own Words: The Essential Writings.” ‘’He saw the carnage and it was his church that was doing it.”

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“Attitudes toward Muslims at that time were hostile beyond imaginings,” said van Gorder. “St. Francis was prepared to be a martyr and was warned by his colleagues that there was a price for the head of a Christian in the sultan’s court, and that his death would almost be certain if he persisted in his plans to go to the sultan’s camp.”

Although there are no first-hand accounts of the meeting, historians say it had a tremendous influence on both men. Al-Kamil, known as a tolerant ruler who offered religious freedom to Christians, received St. Francis hospitably, allowing him to stay in his court for several days and even preach.

The two talked about religion, war and other issues. During his stay, St. Francis made no requests of the sultan, except shortly before he departed, when he asked for a meal, possibly with the hope of breaking bread with Al-Kamil.

“The hagiography portrays the two men as having a profound impact on each other. They parted in peace with each other and gained respect for the other,” said Hugo.

A model for 21st-century dialogue

The visit had a profound impact on St. Francis, who returned to Italy the next year, and made a monumental change to his nascent order’s rules. Before the visit, Franciscans were allowed to engage Muslims with the goal of converting them. After the trip, he revised the rule to say it was also permissible to live peaceably among Muslims and under Muslim rule, without trying to convert them.

“That was revolutionary at that time,” said Moses.

...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/pope-francis-has-a-model-for-muslim-engagement-in-st-francis-of-assisi/2013/03/15/9efce75e-8dac-11e2-adca-74ab31da3399_story_1.html

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Interesting.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

History, rightly so, lays much of the blame for the persecution of the Jews in Europe, culminating with the Holocaust, right at the feet of the Fishermen. The Crusades are another legacy of the Church, fighting on behalf of the concerns of the Pontiff. The recent Popes have apologized for the first, I wonder when they will apologize for the second.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

It appears Pope John Paul II did include the Crusades in his Apology for the Great Sins of the Church, at least in part.

Edited March 16, 2013 by The Patriot