Rabbanim of the Eretz Yisrael Forum, including Rav Sholom Dovber Wolpe and Rav Yaakov Yosef are calling on the chief rabbis to cancel a planned meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, who is scheduled to arrive in Eretz Yisrael on Monday, May 11th.
The rabbis cite a number of reasons, including the pope’s role as a facilitator of idol worship and his role as a member of the Hitler Youth during WWII. Further adding to the “chilul Hashem” they point out is the Vatican’s demand that six areas in Eretz Yisrael be handed over by Israel to Vatican jurisdiction. The rabbonim are calling on Rav Yonah Metzger Shlita and Rav Shlomo Amar Shlita to follow the example set by Rav Yitzchak Nissim ZT”L, who in 1964 refused to take part in the official welcome for the pope, calling on the chief rabbis to facilitate the redemption and be Mekadesh Shem Shamayim.
Rav Amar Shlita and Rav Metzger Shlita expect to meet with the pontiff in Heichal Shlomo.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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14 Responses
I understand that Rabbi Metzger is an ehrlicher so i am surprised that he is not readily going along with the Rabbonim. How can a rav meet and honor someone who represents an institution that has caused so much Yiddish blood to be spilled?
The fact he was conscripted as a teenager in Germany is irrelevant.
It might be better if the rabbanim who do meet the pope were to use the occasion to demand return of all Jewish property confiscated in the past, and that the Catholic Church adopt a policy of not actively soliciting conversions from Jews. We should expect the Catholic Church to support the rights of Jewish minorities in countries where Catholics are the majority. The political aspects (full recognition of Israel) is really not our issue.
On the other hand, we should be encouraging further cooperation in areas where we agree such as abortion and gay rights, and the rights of religious minorities in countries (such as the USA) where both Jews and Catholics are minorities.
They are listening to “the Rabbonnim”, just not to these…Since when do Rabbis Wolpe and Yosef jr. decide in cases pertaining to all of Klal Yisroel?
I totally agree with this. How can someone meet with such a person???? Why should we give over our land to them?? Who do they think they are.
#5 your comparison is way out of whack…
I can assure you , #5, they did not allow anyone wearing an avoda zara to bring karbonos!
#7..you hit it on the head, yasher.He is not going to kotel maravi to pay his respects to riboni shel oilom. And ,besides,what makes #5 so sure that the rosh of oivad avoda zarah, if he sent a korbon oileh, it was accepted?
I would assume that Rav Amar (checked this out with Rav Ovadia Yosef) & Rav Metzger (checked with Rav Elyashuv) checked out with Rabbanim what to do/or not do in this case.
Glad that R. Wolpe and Yosef want to add their comments to the discussion yet it is worthless.
r yitzchak yosef wouldnt disagree with his father maybe r amar is going like r mordechai eliyahu
Heichal Shlomo – of all places, a shul??!? How in Heavens Name do you bring the head of the Catholic Church, Avi Avos haTumah, into a room with Sifrei Torah?!??
#11 Heichal Shlomo – of all places, a shul??!
Heichal Shlomo is a building where ONE of the many rooms are used for a shul. There is a large reception hall, social hall and other rooms besides one with a sefer torah.
#2, I agree that The fact he was conscripted as a teenager in Germany is completely irrelevant. I wish people would stop mentioning it. As far as I can tell, Josef Ratzinger is a good person. The problem is not him, it’s the position he holds. As his avodah zarah’s Representative on Earth, he is the Avi Avos Hatum’oh. And as such it’s a chilul Hashem for rabbonim, especially ones who bear the title (however undeserved) of “Chief rabbis”, to meet him and give him kovod. Refusing to meet him, not because of the Germany stuff but because of Avoda Zara, would be a kiddush Hashem.
We want the Church to return the kalim of the bais hamikdash which Rome stole from us. Maybe they do have the Aroan, they defintly have the Menorah which is depicted in the Titus arc. This would also be called restitution. They should also retore our seforim. What is this nonsence of giving them six properties in Erez Yisroel, what other country has six embassy in Israel?
No, they don’t have anything from the beis hamikdosh. Certainly not the aron, which didn’t even exist in the 2nd BHMK! But no, they don’t have the menorah or anything else; at least, there’s not the slightest reason to suppose they do, and it’s hard to imagine how it would have got to them.