"The Catholic Church is close to you and is your friend. Yes, we love you and cannot help loving you because of the Fathers; due to them, you are our dearest and best-loved brothers". With these words, Pope Benedict XVI welcomed the Head Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, to Vatican today. "Your visit said the Pope gives me great joy". Then, Benedict XVI recalled the Second Vatican Council, after which "esteem" and "mutual trust" between the Jewish and the Catholics have steadily increased. The Pope looks forward and says: "Together, we have to work for the good of all peoples, in justice and in peace, in truth and in freedom, in holiness and in love". In his speech, the Pope did not fail to show concern for the misunderstandings that still exist. "In the light of this shared mission he said we cannot help denouncing and strongly fighting hatred and misunderstanding, injustice and violence, that keep spreading concern in the soul of men and women of good will. In this scenario, how can one not be saddened and worried about the new signs of anti-Semitism that come up from time to time?". Then, as he recalled that the Jewish community has lived in Rome for over two thousand years, Benedict XVI sent his wishes to the Head Rabbi, Di Segni. "Many emergencies and challenges he said , in Rome and all over the world, drive us to join our hands and our hearts in factual initiatives of solidarity, tzedek (justice) and tzedekah (charity). Together, we can join forces to hand down the torch of the Decalogue and hope to the young generations".
