Catholic World News, United States
Oct 19 2004

Catholic, Jewish leader urge respect for Jerusalem

Rome, Oct. 19 (CWNews.com) – A three-day meeting of Catholic and
Jewish officials has concluded with a joint statement urging
political leaders to respect the sacred character of the city of
Jerusalem.

The statement punctuated the 4th session of dialogue arranged by the
Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with Jews, together
with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Rabbi Shar Yishuv Cohen of Haifa
led the Jewish delegation; Cardinal Jorge Mejia, the retired Vatican
archivist, was the top representative of the Holy See.

After three days of discussions in Grottaferrata, just south of Rome,
the group issued a three-part statement. It began with a clear
commitment to continuing the inter-religious dialogue: “We are not
enemies, but unequivocal partners in articulating the essential moral
values for the survival and welfare of human society.”

The statement went on to affirm that “Jerusalem has a sacred
character for all the children of Abraham.” The group asked world
leaders “to respect this character and to prevent actions which
offend the sensibilities of religious communities that rely in
Jerusalem and hold her dear.”

The third point of the joint statement was directed at religious
leaders, asking them to “protest publicly” against “actions of
disrespect toward religious persons, symbols, and holy sites.” The
statement specifically mentioned a recent violent assault on the
Armenian Apostolic Patriarch of Jerusalem and the desecration of
cemeteries.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress