The mainstream media takes great care in
producing provocative titles but almost never links to sources. There is a huge
hullabaloo in Italy right now over the Italian rabbinate’s continued refusal to
engage in dialogue with the Catholic Church since prayers for the salvation of
the Jews were re-introduced in modified form by the current pope. What is
the position of Italian rabbinate?
In accordance with standard blogging etiquette, here is the relevant link. For the controversial prayer and a discussion thereof, go here. For a defense of the prayer by a prominent Jew, Jacob Neusner, go here. Below, a translation of a key graph, with a brief comment.
[Q]uesta è stata la risposta più o meno
ufficiale (una risposta della Conferenza episcopale, sia pure sollecitata, è
mancata), gli ebrei non hanno niente da temere: la speranza espressa dalla
preghiera «Pro Judaeis» è «puramente escatologica», è una speranza relativa
alla «fine dei tempi» e non invita a fare proselitismo attivo (peraltro già
vietato da Paolo VI).
Queste risposte non hanno affatto
accontentato il Rabbinato italiano.
This is the more or less official response we
received (a response from the Conference of Italian Bishops was sought but not
given): the Jews have nothing to fear: the hope expressed by the prayer “Pro
Iudaeis” is “purely eschatological,” a hope relative to “the end times,” not an
invitation to engage in active proselytizing (forbidden, in any case, by Paul
VI).
These responses did not satisfy the Italian
rabbinate in the least.
Jacob Neusner is the right person to have
written a defense of the prayer in question. He has written extensively on the Jewish
eschatological hope contained in its canonical sources according to which the
hegemony of Edom / Rome / Christianity would be replaced by, in accordance with
prophecy in the Bible, the hegemony of Jacob / Israel (a fine example is taken
up by William Shea here).
Perhaps Rav Richetti feels that that
traditional hope of the Jewish people is to be expunged from its canon. I’m not
so sure that would be an appropriate gesture. Last time I checked, the rival
eschatological hopes of both faiths continue to be affirmed by believers on
both sides. Last time I checked, Jews continue to pray for the conversion of
the Gentiles (go here for
a discussion). I would hope so.
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