LI religious leaders praise pope's stance

Long Island religious figures Wednesday praised Pope Benedict XVI for his sweeping exoneration of the Jewish people for the death of Jesus Christ, addressing one of the most controversial issues in Christianity.

In excerpts released Wednesday from the pope's new book, "Jesus of Nazareth-Part II," Benedict explains biblically and theologically why there is no basis in Scripture for the claim that the Jewish people as a whole were responsible for the death of Jesus.

Interpretations to the contrary have been used for centuries to justify the persecution of Jews.

While the Roman Catholic Church has for five decades taught that Jews weren't collectively responsible, Jewish leaders said the argument laid out by the German-born pontiff, who has had his share of controversies with Jews, was a landmark statement.

"This is yet another major step forward in the reconciliation between Jews and Catholics in America and throughout the world," said Rabbi Charles Klein of the Merrick Jewish Center. "It's a moment that opens another door to a growing understanding and a fuller fellowship between members of these two great faiths."

Ed Thompson, a longtime Roman Catholic leader from Farmingdale, said, "As a loyal Catholic, I think it is wonderful that the pope has written this."

The Catholic Church issued its most authoritative teaching on the issue in its 1965 Second Vatican Council document "Nostra Aetate," which revolutionized the church's relations with Jews by saying Christ's death could not be attributed to Jews as a whole at the time or today.

Benedict comes to the same conclusion, but he explains how with a thorough, Gospel-by-Gospel analysis that leaves little doubt that he deeply and personally believes it to be the case: That only a few temple leaders and a small group of supporters were primarily responsible for Christ's crucifixion.

"I think all Catholics involved in the Church since Vatican II basically know" the church's stance on the issue, Thompson said. "However, he is not speaking to the Catholics only. He's speaking to the world."

Rabbi Steven Moss, head of the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission, said, "I think it truly is a remarkable statement coming from the leader of the Catholic world and the Christian community."

Benedict, who was forced to join the Hitler Youth as a child in Nazi Germany, has made improving relations with Jews a priority of his pontificate. During his trip to New York in 2008, he became the first pope to visit a U.S. synagogue.

With AP