Jewish-Christian Relations Insights and Issues in the ongoing Jewish-Christian Dialogue
My heart is close to you, to the Holy Land, to all the peoples who inhabit it, Israelis and Palestinians 01.03.2024 | Pope Francis Vatican City, 2 February 2024 - Letter of the Holy Father to Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel.
Dear brothers and sisters, We are experiencing a moment of great travail. Wars and divisions are increasing all over the world. We are truly, as I said some time ago, in the midst of a sort of "piecemeal world war", with serious consequences on the lives of many populations. Unfortunately, even the Holy Land has not been spared this pain, and since October 7 it too has been cast into a spiral of unprecedented violence. My heart is torn at the sight of what is happening in the Holy Land, by the power of so much division and so much hatred. The whole world looks on at what is happening in that land with apprehension and pain. These are feelings that express special closeness and affection for the peoples who inhabit the land which has witnessed the history of revelation. Unfortunately, however, it must be note that this war has also produced divisive attitudes in public opinion worldwide and divisive positions, sometimes taking the form of anti-Semitism and antiJudaism. I can only reiterate what my predecessors have also clearly stated many times: the relationship that binds us to you is particular and singular, without ever obscuring, naturally, the relationship that the Church has with others and the commitment towards them too. The path that the Church has walked with you, the ancient people of the covenant, rejects every form of antiJudaism and anti-Semitism, unequivocally condemning manifestations of hatred towards Jews and Judaism as a sin against God. Together with you, we, Catholics, are very concerned about the