Elder Brother Or Parent?

This post is in response to an anonymous poster whose comments can be found here.  According to his/her comment: 

AnonymousJuly 18, 2018 at 12:36 PM

Diana, why does Giuseppe Gennarini, the catechist of the NCW in the U.S., call the Jews "parent" rather than "elder brother" as Pope Francis does?

His/Her comment is most likely in reference to the comments made in the jungle, which can be found here.  Mr. Gennarini was not the only one who felt that the Jews should not be called "elder brother."  Pope Benedict XVI also felt the same way.  According to an article in Culture Wars:

On the other hand, in his interview book Light of the World, Pope Benedict XVI recently explained why he thinks we should no longer call Jews "our elder brothers", stating that "the phrase 'elder brothers,' which had already been used by John XXIII, is not so welcome to Jews. The reason is that, in the Jewish tradition, the 'elder brother' – Esau – is also the brother who gets rejected." According to Pope Benedict even the Jews themselves do not find this title as complimentary as many think. 

Therefore, there was nothing strange at all.  Mr. Gennarini gave the same reason that Pope Benedict XVI gave.  The reason Mr. Gennarini used the word "parent" was because Abraham, the founder of Judaism, was called the "father of all believers" or the "father in the faith."  Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church (See CCC 2569) called the Founder of Judaism (Abraham) "our father."

Finally, there is no written law in the Catholic Church saying that the Jews should not be called "parent".  Neither is there any written law saying they should be called "elder brother."  Pope Francis and other popes who called the Jews "elder brother" meant no disrespect.  It was not their intention to offend them in any way.  Yet, for the sake of ecumenism, Mr. Gennarini and Pope Benedict XVI refrained from using the term "elder brother."  If our Jewish brothers find the term "elder brother" offensive, then perhaps the word "elder" should be dropped and simply call them "brothers".......or as Christ taught us, we can humble ourselves and call them "parent".