Italy: Benedict XVI To Visit Rome Synagogue on January 17, 2010
On October 13, the Press Office of the Holy See announced that Benedict XVI would visit the synagogue of Rome on the afternoon of Sunday January 17, 2010, “on the occasion of the 21st Day for the Development and Deepening of Dialogue between Catholics and Jews”.
For the Jews, January 17 corresponds with the day in 1793 when their co-religionists evaded “the fury of the Roman people” who accused the ghetto of being at the origin of revolutionary movements arriving from France, said the Press Office. On this occasion the Pope will meet the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, as well as the Rome’s Jewish community. Benedict XVI will be following in the footsteps of his predecessor John Paul II who made a visit to the Synagogue on April 13, 1986, becoming the first pope to enter a synagogue since the earliest days of the Church. On that occasion, he told the Jews that they were the “beloved brothers” and the “elder brothers” of Catholics.
(Sources: Apic / Imedia)
