Convivience In Israel

Rabbis, Cardinals and Bishops together
in the first International Meeting organized by
the Neocatechumenal Way in Israel

This Thursday, the first International Meeting between Rabbis, Cardinals and Bishops organized in Israel by the Neocatechumenal Way has come to a close. On the 50^th anniversary of the Declaration Nostra Aetate and in memory of the 70 anniversary since the end of the Shoah (Holocaust), the meeting took place in the Domus Galilaeae, in the Galilee region. 7 cardinals, 20 bishops and 120 rabbis from all over the world participated as well as people of both faiths renown in the fields of education, art and culture.

The cardinals which participated were:

-      Card. George Pell, Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy of the Holy See

-      Card. Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity

-      Card. Arz. Telesphore Placidus Toppo, Ranchi (India)

-      Card. Arz. Christoph Schönborn, Vienna (Austria)

-      Card. Josef Cordes, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum

-      Card. Arz. Andrew Yeom Soo-Jung, Seoul (South Korea)

-      Card. Arz. Paolo Romeo, Palermo (Italia)

The meeting was moderated by the International Team of the Neocatechumenal Way made up of Kiko Argüello, Carmen Hernández and Fr. Mario Pezzi, together with the director of the Domus Galilaeae, Fr, Rino Rossi.

Many presbyters as well as itinerant catechists of the Neocatechumenal Way also participated. The overall number was of about 400 people.

It was an unprecedented initiative supported by the Vatican. Pope Francis sent a message to recognize and underscore the importance of this initiative as an instrument to foster fraternity among the two peoples.

A Symphonic Homage and Prayer

Among the key moments during the Meeting was “The Suffering of the Innocents”, a symphony that is both a Homage and Prayer. Performed by the Orchestra and Choir of the Neocatechumenal Way, it was meant as an act of love and reconciliation with the Jewish people for the suffering endured in the Shoah (the Holocaust).

The Neocatechumenal Way has already performed “The Suffering of the Innocents” in concert on various occasions. In 2012, this moving piece was performed first in Boston and later in the prestigious Lincoln Center of New York before an audience of 3,000 Jews and about fifty rabbis. That same year it was also performed in the Bechar Gerard of Jerusalem. In June of 2013 it was heard in Auschwitz by 15,000 people, in front of the “gate of death”.

This International Meeting is the direct result of the fact that many Jews have identified deeply with the music and its message. On various occasions, they have expressed the profound emotion produced by listening to the music and remembering the murders perpetrated in the Shoah.

Pope Francis’ Message

“I extend greetings to all of you participating in this meeting, and I assure you of my spiritual closeness. I hope that your encounter will be an occasion to strengthen the bonds of fraternity which you share, and to deepen your commitment to making known the cry of the innocents trough the language of music.

In union with you, I ask the Lord to hear this cry and to heal the afflictions of all who suffer. So too I pray that hearts may be opened to the plight of the innocents throughout the world.

With these sentiments, I invoke abundant divine blessings upon all of you as a pledge of peace and strength.”

                                                                                            Franciscus
 

Throughout the course of the four days, the participants spoke about some common challenges: the salvific mission of the Jewish people and of the Catholic Church in today's world; the transmission of faith to the next generation; the contrast between the Judeo-Christian anthropology and those anthropologies which hold as premise the negation of God; and the resurgence of antisemitism and xenophobic fundamentalism.

On the very last day, while sharing their experience of the meeting, the rabbis expressed their surprise at witnessing the presence of God shown in the wonderful communion. “It has been a historic meeting. Never before in the Jewish world had we successfully gathered so many rabbis from such a wide array of movements: orthodox, conservative, reform, reconstructionist, etc.”

Each rabbi spoke about the communion felt with the Cardinals and Bishops and thanked the Neocatechumenal Way for accomplishing this true miracle.

Final statement by the Rabbis

The rabbis present, on their part, drafted a final statement:

“We were impressed by how, in the Neocatechumenal Way, faith is been transmitted to the children, by how families are rebuilt and by how people come to know the Scriptures and the roots Christianity: the faith of Abraham, the passage of the Red Sea, the Exodus, the history of salvation. From this a great respect and love for the Jewish people is born.

“A symphonic homage and prayer, remembering the tragedy of the Shoah, helped us to focus on the suffering of the innocents, which continues today also among Christians in some countries of Africa and the Middle East.

“We expressed our shared commitment to the presence of God in the world and our common desire to engage in tikkun olam, in repair of the world for all humanity, including the growing concern for the suffering of the poor, a greater respect for creation and the strengthening of the family.

“Reflecting on Nostra Aetate and the dramatic change it promoted, opportunities and challenges were highlighted.

“However an immense change from the prejudices and divisions of the past is being born. This event foreshadows a new spring, the birth of something new in the relationship between Judaism and Christianity.”