VATICAN CITY, OCT 12, 2006 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received a group from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The league was founded in 1913 and its aim, according to its founding charter, is "to stop, by appeals to reason and conscience and, if necessary, by appeals to law, the defamation of the Jewish people."
Speaking English, Pope Benedict recalled how members of the ADL had visited John Paul II on a number of occasions and expressed his own happiness at being able "to continue to meet representative groups of the Jewish people.
"In our world today," he added, "religious, political, academic and economic leaders are being seriously challenged to improve the level of dialogue between peoples and between cultures. To do this effectively requires a deepening of our mutual understanding and a shared dedication to building a society of ever greater justice and peace. We need to know each other better and, on the strength of that mutual discovery, to build relationships not just of tolerance but of authentic respect. Indeed, Jews, Christians and Muslims share many common convictions, and there are numerous areas of humanitarian and social engagement in which we can and must cooperate.
"The Vatican Council II Declaration 'Nostra Aetate' reminds us that the Jewish roots of Christianity oblige us to overcome the conflicts of the past and to create new bonds of friendship and collaboration. It affirms in particular that the Church deplores all forms of hatred or persecution directed against the Jews and all displays of anti-Semitism at any time and from any source.
"The four decades since the Declaration have brought many positive advances, and they have also witnessed some early steps, perhaps still too tentative, towards a more open conversation on religious themes. It is precisely at this level of frank exchange and dialogue that we will find the basis and the motivation for a solid and fruitful relationship."
The Holy Father concluded by calling upon the Lord to "bless every effort to eliminate from our world any misuse of religion as an excuse for hatred or violence."
AC/ANTI-SEMITISM/ADL VIS 20061012 (360)
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