On November 10, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Israeli Religious Council—a committee comprising leaders of Israel’s primary religious communities—at a Vatican meeting. (Significantly, Benedict addressed the Council on the 73rd anniversary of Kristallnacht (1938).) Among those present were Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Yona Metzger, and a delegate described as “the head imam of Israel.” This was the first time a Pope, according to Romereports.com, has held such a summit. (See a video report of the meeting here.)
Founded in 2007, the Israeli Religious Council is a body consisting of representatives from eighteen different communities in Israel—including Jews, Muslims, and Christians—and its purpose is to foster interfaith awareness and dialogue.
The Pope’s message emphasized interfaith understanding to the end of promoting peace, particularly in the Middle East. He differentiated, on the one hand, between violence motivated directly by religion and, on the other, violence that is simply the consequence of modern secular society. In Pope Benedict’s view, simple interfaith understanding—which would theoretically end direct interfaith violence—will not generate lasting peace in the world; rather, an understanding of divine love and justice will be the source of lasting reconciliation in modern society, regardless of the mediating faith through which one chooses to understand such divinity.
For excerpts of Benedict’s address, please follow the jump.