The chief Rabbi of Moscow Pinchas Goldschmidt tried to convince Pope Francis to Common action to try to normalize relations between Russia and Western countries.
The message he delivered yesterday in the Vatican during the meeting the head of the Roman Catholic Church with a delegation of the Conference of European rabbis, which was half of commissioners of the Russian Jewish Congress, informs " Kommersant ".
the initiator of the meeting declared the Chief Rabbi of Moscow Pinchas Goldschmidt, who concurrently serves as head of the Conference of European rabbis. Together with him to the Pope invited the rabbis of France, Rome, Belgium, Germany, England, and the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC) Yuri Kanner and members of the RIVERS of Boris mints, Yana Abramova, Leonard Blavatnik." We meet in a historic moment, " said Goldschmidt, referring to Pope Francis on behalf of the entire delegation.- We celebrate 50 years of the Declaration " Nostra Aetate ", which marked a new period in relations between the Church and the Jewish people. The Rabbi at the same time said that currently, " most Jews in the European Union feel like Christians in the middle East." It is impossible not to raise the issue of continuous bloodshed and the suffering of thousands of people, tens of thousands of immigrants, sanctions and counter sanctions, which led to great economic hardship for ordinary citizens of Russia, Ukrainians and Europeans, " said the Rabbi.- We see the danger of a new wall between East and West that endangers humanity and our world." According to his statement, it is the Pope as the leader of Western Christianity can be " God's messenger, which will help fresh build bridges and lead East and West from the brink of war to a unified and peaceful Europe ". The Pope also recalled the Declaration "Nostra Aetate" as a landmark in relations between Catholics and Jews, and agreed with Pinchas Goldschmidt, recognizing that anti-Semitism in the European Union is a terrifying character. Authorized European Jewish organizations of Europe in recorded history have not visited the Vatican on an official visit. The meeting was possible only after the second Vatican Council (held in 1962-1965 s), which significantly changed the views of the Roman Catholic Church against the Jews. Catholics, who for centuries have initiated the persecution of the Jews, admitted unlawful " anti-Semitism ". At the same time the Vatican has stopped blaming the Jews for the death of Jesus Christ, which was enshrined in the Declaration " Nostra Aetate ", adopted by the Council.

sections: Politics