Our Preaching_Vol2 Iss2.qxd - Dominican Sisters of Amityville ...

Our Preaching
An Interfaith Trip To ROME
By Ruth Lautt, OP
On January 18, 2005, I had the great privilege of being one
of approximately thirty Catholic “friends” invited to join
an international delegation of leading rabbis, cantors and Israeli
diplomats as they traveled to the Vatican for a private audience
with His Holiness, Pope John Paul II. The purpose of this trip,
which was organized and lead by Gary Krupp of Pave the Way
Foundation, was to personally thank the Holy Father for his
extraordinary contribution to Catholic/Jewish relations.
The trip was timed to coincide with the beginning of the
40th anniversary year of Nostra Aetate. Nostra Aetate, which
was issued in 1965 by the Second Vatican Council, completely
redefined the Church’s relationship with the Jewish people and
changed the entire scene of interfaith dialogue, inspiring a series
of official reappraisals of Christian teachings about Jews and
Judaism across a spectrum of denominations. Thus, it was entirely
appropriate that at the onset of this
anniversary year, this very unique
interfaith group make a pilgrimage
to thank the one man who has
perhaps done more to carry forward
the spirit of Nostra Aetate than
anyone else in history.
The trip was a great blessing for
me from start to finish. Most of us
arrived in Rome on Sunday morning
and the fellowship began immediately. Though many of us were
strangers, we were united by our dedication to Catholic/Jewish
dialogue. I arrived knowing very few people in the delegation and
left with about 100 new found friends.
The official program began on Monday, when we were given
a private tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel.
This was followed by a private tour of the Great Synagogue of
Rome. It was in this Synagogue, on April 13, 1986, where Pope
John Paul II made his historic visit and proclaimed that:
With Judaism…we [Christians] have a relationship which we do
not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers,
and in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers.
After the tour, Rabbi Jack Bemporad (Director of the Center
for the Interreligious Understanding, Englewood, New Jersey)
and Father Norbert Hoffman (staff officer at the Holy See for
the Council for Religious Relations with Jews) hosted a talk on
the “Challenge of Jewish Christian Dialogue.”
On Monday evening, Archbishop Fitzgerald, president of the
Pontifical Council, Rolando Clementi, Papal Chamberlain, and
about twelve other representatives from the Vatican were special
guests when our delegation was treated to a Cantorial Concert
at the Great Synagogue.
Tuesday was the big day as about 150 of us piled onto buses
and headed for the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. We climbed
the stairs and took our seats in Clementine Hall. After about
half an hour, the doors in the back of the room opened and my
“…My heart soared as
the Holy Father entered the
marble-lined, frescoed room.”
heart soared as the Holy Father entered the marble-lined, frescoed
room. Quite spontaneously our delegation stood and applauded.
I found myself in tears as I watched this giant of a man make his
way to the front of the room in his white, upholstered motorized
chair. Gary Krupp then stood and in an eloquent speech thanked
John Paul II for the extraordinary effort made in his life, especially
during his 26-year pontificate, to combat anti-Semitism. The
Holy Father addressed us briefly but eloquently in English, saying:
May this be an occasion for renewed commitment to increased
understanding and cooperation in the service of building a world ever
more firmly based in respect for the divine image in every human
being. Upon all of you, I invoke the abundant blessings of the
Almighty and, in particular, the gift of peace. Shalom aleichem.
After the speeches, the cantors broke into song and three
rabbis pronounced a special blessing on His Holiness, and prayed
the she’hehchyanu, thanking
Almighty God for sustaining us
and bringing us to this special day.
Every member of the delegation was
personally introduced to the Pope,
and I was thrilled to be able to give
His Holiness greetings from the
Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville,
New York!
Following the audience, we
were treated to a luncheon by Angelica Berrie of the Berrie
Foundation and Center for Interreligious Understanding. That
evening Ambassador Oded Ben Hur hosted us all at another
reception. I missed a tour of the American College because I was
invited, along with Gary Krupp, Shmuel Hadas (the first
Ambassador from Israel to the Vatican), and several of the Rabbis
to a meeting with the Community of Santa Egidio. Born as a
secular community after the Second Vatican Council, the
members of Santa Egidio began their activity as a small group of
young intellectuals seeking an alternative to political extremism
and a return to moral and ethical values. Their statute, which
includes clauses mandating service to the poor and dialogue with
the world’s religions, was approved by the Vatican. The group
gathers daily for scripture study and prayers in their headquarters
in a former monastery in the heart of Rome.
The Community’s special significance lies in the fame that
their works have brought them, their concrete contributions to
networking through interreligious channels for peace, and their
dedication to service to the poor. They are especially well known
for their role in bringing about the Mozambique Peace Treaty
of 1992.
I was delighted to spend my final evening in Rome at dinner
with Gary Krupp, his wife Merrie and three LaSalette Priests from
Massachusetts who are involved in Pave the Way Foundation.
This was the experience of a lifetime for me. And I humbly
thank God for bringing me to this holy day.
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