No Jews invited to Vatican seminar on anti-Semitism
RUTH E. GRUBER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
ROME - The Vatican is holding a symposium on anti-Semitism, but no Jews were invited.
Jewish leaders expressed disappointment that there would be no Jewish presence at the Vatican's closed-door symposium to examine the roots of anti-Semitism in Christian teaching. Vatican cardinals and other church officials, as well as about 60 Roman Catholic scholars and theologians, were scheduled to take part in the meeting, titled "The Roots of Anti-Judaism in the Christian Environment."
Representatives of other Christian denominations, including Protestants and Orthodox Christians, also were invited to the meeting, which was scheduled to take place from Thursday to Saturday of this week (Oct. 30 to Nov. 1).
Tullia Zevi, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, said she had hoped that some Jewish scholars might have been invited as observers. "The answer was very polite, but firm, that this was an internal church" matter, she told a reporter, but added, "We have great confidence in the work of the commission."
The Vatican said in a statement that the conference would focus on "essentially Christian themes."
The statement added that the meeting, which was expected to be closed to the public and the media, would aim "to overcome the misunderstanding and divisions of the past, rediscover the character of each faith and look to the future with tranquillity and hope."
Re-examining the past, it said, would help the church in its search for truth "and contribute to a correct orientation of the lives of the (Catholic) faithful."
Pope John Paul II, who has often condemned anti-Semitism and who has taken many steps to encourage Christian-Jewish dialogue, was expected to address the symposium.
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