AAS 70 [1978] - El Vaticano

Maeroris testimonia scriptis data 853
IV
AB HEBRAICIS CONSOCIATIONIBUS VEL PERSONIS
The ways of God are offen mysterious to the minds of men and
yet we accept the decree humbly and faithfully. The death of the
Holy Father John Paul I comes as a profound shock and we of the
International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultation share
with you in bereavement and sorrow. It is our pray er that the love that
the Holy Father expressed in his very short reign will endure for a
very long time in the vineyard of ali humanity. May his soul he bound
up in the bounds of eternai life.
Most respectfully yours
Rabbi Ronald B. Sobel, Chairman
International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultation
Deeply saddened and shocked by sudden and untimely death of His
Holiness Pope John Paul I convey to Your Eminence, to the Sacred
College of Cardinals and to the Catholic community on behalf of the
World Jewish Congress and its afiiliated communities and Organization»
our deepfelt condolences and the expression of our sincere sympathy.
Respectfully
Philip M. Klutznick, President
Gerhart M. Riegner, Secretary general
World Jewish Congress
We are saddened by the death of Pope John Paul I. His passing
is a lost to the Church and to mankind. In his all too brief ministry he
symbolized a hope for reconciliation between people. We are particularly
mindful of the Pope's warmth for the Jewish people. His inspiring
words in a meeting with Jewish leaders in Venice in 1975 gave us hope
that he would carry forward the work of Catholic/Jewish understanding.
We are moved too by the prayer he uttered for peace in the Middle East
and his expressed récognition that Israel security was a necessary
prerequisite for that peace. We are grateful that he lived to See the
first steps taken toward the peace for which he hoped and saddened