Israel expresses 'deep sorrow' upon Pope's passing
 

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Herb Keinon and JPost Staff, THE JERUSALEM POST

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Israel expressed "deep sorrow" at the passing of Pope John Paul II, who in 1986 referred to the Jewish people as "our elder brothers."

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon opened Sunday morning's cabinet meeting saying "In the name of the Israeli government and the State of Israel, I would like to express my sorrow and condolences on the death of Pope John Paul II, and join in the mourning of the millions of Christians and believers in the State of Israel and among the greater Christian world.

Sharon called Pope John Paul II, "a man of peace and a friend of the Jewish People, who was familiar with the uniqueness of the Jewish people." He also added that the Pope worked for the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the Vatican in 1993.

"I had the honor to meet with the Pope in 1999, while serving as Foreign Minister when I went to invite the Pope, in the name of the Israeli government, to millennium celebrations. In my meeting with him I felt the affection, the warm relationship and sympathy the Pope felt towards the Jewish people and towards the State of Israel," Sharon said.

"Yesterday the world lost one of the most important leaders of our generation, whose great dedication to rapprochement and unity among the nations, understanding and tolerance, will guide us all for years to come."

President Moshe Katsav, in a statement, expressed his deepest regret over the passing of Pope John Paul II and sent condolences – on behalf of both the State of Israel and himself – to the millions of mourners throughout the Christian world.

"As a Christian leader and the head of the Roman Catholic Church, John Paul II will be remembered as someone who showed his believers new paths to interfaith reconciliation and brotherhood. Karol Wojtyla will be remembered as a moral man who stood for human rights and whose heart was with the downtrodden and the oppressed," President Katsav said.

"The Jewish People will remember John Paul II as someone who courageously stood up and put an end to an historic injustice when he officially disavowed the prejudices and accusations – for which our people and our faith had suffered from venomous anti-Semitism, persecutions and bloodshed – against the Jews that had multiplied in Catholic church writings and amongst its believers. He also initiated and fostered an enhanced and fruitful dialogue between Judaism and Christianity, and between Israel and the Vatican."

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom issued a statement saying that "Israel, the Jewish people and the entire world, lost today a great champion of reconciliation and brotherhood between the faiths."

"On behalf of the government and people of Israel, we extend our condolences to the Catholic Church and the flock of Pope John Paul II," Shalom said.

"This is a great loss, first and foremost for the Catholic Church and its hundreds of millions of believers, but also for humanity as a whole. I had the privilege of meeting with His Holiness twice, and I was deeply impressed by his insights and his unique humanity. The State of Israel joins all those who mourn his loss."

The statement praised Pope John Paul II for leading the Catholic Church towards closer relations with Israel and with the Jewish people. "Through his public and religious work, he promoted inter-faith understanding and dialogue, with a willingness to address the past, and a profound determination to build a future of understanding and brotherhood between all faiths," the statement read.
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