Israel’s Chief Rabbis Israel Meir Lau and Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron met today with the Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah. This was the three men’s first public meeting.
Differences of opinion arose at the meeting in connection with the Vatican paper on the Holocaust, and also in connection with the Patriarch’s allegations that Israel is preventing free access to holy sites.
Patriarch Michel Sabbah said that only through negotiation could peace be attained in the region, and violence would not help.
Sabbah further remarked that he saw no reason for the Vatican to apologise for what befell the Jewish people in the Holocaust, because, he said, whoever does such things cannot be deemed a Christian.
Chief Rabbi Lau commented, at the end of the meeting, that the way the Patriarch separates the western Christian from the oriental Christian world is not acceptable to him. Rabbi Lau also said it should not be forgotten that for 19 years, access to the holy sites was completely blocked to Jews, yet no denunciation of that fact came from the Vatican. Accordingly, a new leaf should now be turned in relations between the religions.
Published by Israel's Business Arena March 23, 1998