British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Cardinal Vincent Nichols look forward to the upcomong Nostra Aetate

After a meeting with the pontiff in Rome, Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said Pope Francis is a "truly outstanding and inspirational spiritual leader."

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (Catholic Online) - In a meeting between Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mivis, Pope Francis and Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Rabbi Mirvis gave the pontiff a special set of apple and honey used for Jewish New Year celebrations.

Vatican Radio announced Rabbi Mirvis' gift represented the bitterness of the past and hope for moving forward in a "sweet manner."

He continued, saying the gift was an "expression of our thoughts as regards the background to our visit and how, thanks to [the Second Vatican Council document] Nostra Aetate, we are moving very much forward."

Cardinal Nichols said the work of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism and the Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies at Rome's Gregorian University both displayed "the practical unfolding of Nostra Aetate."

Nostra Aetate is a Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council. It says the Catholic Church acknowledges Muslim, Christian and Jewish beliefs and their beliefs to worship One God, the great respect Muslims and Christians hold for Jesus and that "the Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God." 

In an article for the Daily Telegraph, Rabbi Mirvis and Cardinal Nichols said, "In many places to be a person of faith can be ... an act of courage. To confess your belief in God no longer commands universal respect ... in many societies you are more likely to be dismissed as naĂŻve, unsophisticated and narrow-minded."

The duo added, "And all of this amid the alarming increase in the brazen persecution of Christian, Muslim and Jewish minorities which has become one of the most pressing and shameful issues of our time. That is why it is more important than ever for faith communities like ours to cultivate close working relationships."

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