"It is good that Mr Netanyahu should praise the Pope’s book: but it contains nothing new about the Jews"

Dr. William Oddie comments in the Catholic Herald:

Last week, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, thanked Pope Benedict for making it clear – in his new book, Jesus of Nazareth part II – that there is no basis in Scripture for the accusation that the Jewish people as a whole were responsible for Jesus’s death. “I commend you for rejecting in your new book the false claim that was used as a basis for the hatred of Jews for hundreds of years,” Mr Netanyahu wrote to the Pope; he added that he hoped that “the clarity and bravery” shown by Benedict XVI would strengthen relations between Jews and Christians worldwide and promote peace in the next generations.

This reaction is certainly to be welcomed, and I certainly hope that this will be one outcome. I have to say, all the same, that I don’t quite see that the pope needed any particular bravery to assert what Catholics have taken for granted for generations.

Read more...

Israeli Prime Minister thanks Pope Benedict for "rejecting false charge that has been basis for hatred of Jewish People for years."

From the Jerusalem Post:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday sent a letter praising Pope Benedict XVI for reiterating that the Jewish people are not responsible for Jesus' death. The Pope made the comments in a new book released on Wednesday.

"I commend you for forcefully rejecting, in your recent book, a false charge that has been a foundation for the hatred of the Jewish People for many centuries," Netanyahu wrote.

The Prime Minister also offered to meet again with the Pope: "My fervent hope is that your clarity and courage will strengthen the relations between Jews and Christians throughout the world and help promote peace and reconciliation for generations to come."

"I look forward to seeing you again soon and to expressing my deep appreciation for you in person."

 Read more....