• Article Tools
• Print

by Marc Nadeau

May 15th, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI has departed for Rome after a week-long pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It is too early to predict the outcome of his historic visit to this troubled region of the world. However, we can already observe that the pope’s critics have lost no time sharpening their knives.
The Jerusalem Post ran an article Friday comparing the style and personality of John Paul II and his successor. Summing up the papal visit, the author of the article opined that “many feel Benedict leaves Israel with the impression that more could have been said and done to assuage suspicions regarding the conservative pope’s German background, his position on the Holocaust and his view of the Jewish people.”

An editorial in the same newspaper bluntly expressed that “the past week showed that on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Pope Benedict XVI just doesn’t get it.” Chief among the editorial’s complaints was the fact that Pope Benedict did not condemn Iran in any of his addresses, along with his sympathy for the Palestinian people.

Overall, the gold medal for the most inelegant attack came from Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) Speaker Reuven Rivlin, who in reference to the pope warned “we cannot ignore the baggage he carries with him.”

He was referring to the fact that Pope Benedict, like all German teenagers, was forced into Hitler’s Youth in the 1930s. Historians have already determined that any incrimination of the teenage Joseph Ratzinger is a baseless accusation, and on a religious level, one can only mourn how such rhetoric continues to drive a wedge between Catholics and Jews.

Unmentioned by his critics is Pope Benedict’s emphasis on interfaith dialogue this week, even apart from meeting with and encouraging the local Catholic Church. While in Israel, the pope met with not only Christian representatives but also Muslims and Jews. Tuesday morning, he went to the Temple Mount. An hour later, he prayed at the Western Wall. At no time did I observe a lack of sensitivity toward either faith.

Still, controversies beat Pope Benedict to Israel.  From prayers for the Jews in the Traditional Latin Mass, to Holocaust-denying SSPX bishop Richard Williamson, to the role of Pius XII during World War II, many minds were already set about the pope before his plane even landed.

On the way from the Ben Gurion airport to our hotel in Jerusalem, our driver, Michael, mentioned his total lack of interest in Benedict XVI “because of his past.” Danny, who owns the shop where I bought most of my souvenirs, was equally direct – “I was very fond of John Paul II. I am indifferent to this one.” But when I questioned them about their preconceptions and whether they could look past them, the only answer I got was silence.

Of course, Benedict XVI is not John Paul II.  Nobody could be, including whoever else will succeed Pope Benedict. I’m no erudite regarding interfaith dialogue, but I know that when you want to engage in a fruitful rapport with somebody, you don’t mention how much you would like this person to be like someone else.

Much work remains to be accomplished in the relationship between Judaism and Catholicism. But we won’t achieve anything with our focus on the past. The path to a rich interaction between the Vatican and Jerusalem lies ahead.

As the Vicar of Christ and successor of Peter, Pope Benedict this week has extended his hand to both Islam and Judaism, inviting them to better relationships and dialogue with the Catholic Church – a dialogue grounded in our many shared values and our common identity as children of God.  Pope Benedict’s presence in the Holy was an eloquent manifestation of that, and for this he should be praised. 

Marc Nadeau is Headline Bistro's correspondent in the Holy Land during Pope Benedict XVI's pilgrimage there. He will be filing daily stories, photos and observations of the pope's time in the Holy Land, with a focus on the impact of the trip on the local, Catholic community. Marc is a Knight of Columbus in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and Deputy Grand Knight of Council #9825.