Italian bishops promote Catholic-Jewish dialogue as antisemitic speech increases
FREE Catholic Classes
The Catholic Church in Italy marked its 31st annual Day of Jewish-Christian Religious Dialogue with a discussion between Rome's chief rabbi and a Catholic priest who is a professor of the Old Testament.
We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.
Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.Help Now >
Great Synagogue in Rome Italy
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
1/16/2020 (4 years ago)
Published in Europe
Keywords: INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE, ROME, ITALY, EUROPE
Rome, Italy, (CNA) - The Catholic Church in Italy marked its 31st annual Day of Jewish-Christian Religious Dialogue with a discussion between Rome's chief rabbi and a Catholic priest who is a professor of the Old Testament.
Riccardo Di Segni and Fr. Luca Mazzinghi spoke on the Song of Songs from the Jewish and Christian perspectives Jan. 16 at the Pontifical Lateran University and organized by the Vicariate of Rome.
While the theme of the discussion is not strictly "Christian-Jewish dialogue," the event is an exercise in dialogue, which is important, Fr. Mazzinghi told CNA.
Fr. Mazzinghi, who teaches on the Old Testament at the Pontifical Gregorian University, has years of experience with inter-religious dialogue with Jews.
"As a Christian, I feel the need for dialogue with Judaism, because Judaism is a part, if I may say, of my DNA," he said.
"If you are a Christian, you should feel a closeness to Judaism, because it is your roots."
"The [Catholic] relationship with Judaism is not like the relationship with other religions, with Islam, for example, or Hinduism, Buddhism," he said. "It's a very particular relationship, because the God of the Bible is the same."
Antisemitic attacks and speech, especially online, are on the rise in Italy, where the Jewish community numbers 30,000.
The Center of Contemporary Jewish Documents' Observatory on Anti-Jewish Prejudice, which is based in Milan, recorded 190 antisemitic acts between January and September 2019, up from 2018 and 2017.
The group defines antisemitic episodes as intentional acts of violence or physical attack, threats, discrimination, insults, writings, or graffiti directed against Jewish persons, organizations, or properties, and in which there is evidence of antisemitic motivation or content.
In Italy, the number of violent antisemitic attacks are lower than in other parts of Europe, but prejudice and the number of verbal attacks against Jewish people, mostly online, are rising, the Observatory found.
An example is the 2018 theft in Rome of twenty bronze-capped cobblestones, commemorating members of two Italian Jewish families who were deported during the Holocaust.
"We should be very careful about antisemitism, because it is a very real danger, it's a reality," Fr. Mazzinghi said.
"On this I need to be very clear: A Christian cannot be an antisemite in any way."
"Pope Francis has also repeated this many times: If you are an antisemite you cannot be a Christian. For me, this is clear. In any case, antisemitic acts put me outside the Christian faith."
In May 2019, Pope Francis told an international group dedicated to Jewish-Catholic dialogue "to work together in building a climate not only of tolerance but also of respect between religions."
"We share a rich spiritual patrimony that can and must be ever more esteemed and appreciated as we grow in mutual understanding, fraternity and shared commitment on behalf of others," he said.
Fr. Mazzinghi explained that "in the past, Christians, not only in the Catholic Church, but Christians in general, have often behaved as antisemites."
St. John Paul II called the Jewish people the "elder brothers" of Catholics, Fr. Mazzinghi said, noting that "if Jews are my brothers, I cannot be against Jews in any way."
"Dialogue, I believe, helps both to understand that the other is not an enemy."
---
'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'
Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online
Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.
-
Mysteries of the Rosary
-
St. Faustina Kowalska
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
-
Saint of the Day for Wednesday, Oct 4th, 2023
-
Popular Saints
-
St. Francis of Assisi
-
Bible
-
Female / Women Saints
-
7 Morning Prayers you need to get your day started with God
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Come Holy Spirit! The Whole Church Needs Pentecost
-
Our Lady of Fatima asks the same thing of us today
-
Embracing the Light of Our Lady of Fatima on Her Feast Day
-
Mother's Day and the Gift of Mary as Mother
-
How Molecular Biology Sheds Light on The Catholic Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and ...
Daily Catholic
- Daily Readings for Wednesday, May 15, 2024
- St. Dymphna: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, May 15, 2024
- Prayer to St. Gabriel, for Others: Prayer of the Day for Friday, May 10, 2024
- Daily Readings for Tuesday, May 14, 2024
- St. Matthias: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, May 14, 2024
- Prayer for Travelers: Prayer of the Day for Thursday, May 09, 2024
We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.
Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.Help Now >
Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.