Logo for Pope Francis' pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Posted on 05/20/2014 5:31:22 AM PDT by NYer
.- Abraham Skorka, an Argentine rabbi who has long been a friend of Pope Francis, has told a Jesuit magazine of the background of their upcoming pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which will occur May 24-26.
“We dreamt of being together in front of the Western Wall of the Temple of Jerusalem and to embrace … and that I would accompany him to Bethlehem, to be on his side in such a meaningful moment for him,” Skorka told Fr. Antonio Spadaro, director of La Civilta Cattolica, in an interview published May 17.
Pope Francis will be joined in his Holy Land trip by Skorka as well as by Omar Abboud, a sheikh from Buenos Aires.
Skorka and the Pope discussed the possibility of such a trip at their first lunch after Bergoglio’s election as Bishop of Rome.
The two have wanted to underscore their special friendship as a sign that dialogue between religions is possible.
“When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, it was clear to me that our friendship had to become public,” Skorka told La Civilta Cattolica. “It was needed, after centuries of discord between Jews and Christians, and because conflict too often wins out over dialogue.”
Before their June 13 lunch, Skorka and Pope Francis recorded a joint message for an Israeli TV broadcast. “It was very short, but very meaningful,” Skorka recounted, saying that they expressed that their friendship and dialogue is a sign that Rome and Jerusalem can find peace with each other.
Their joint message “considerably grabbed the attention of the Israeli population; particularly Jews,” the rabbi said.
Skorka’s dialogue with Bergoglio during his pontificate has developed on two other occasions, as well.
He was in Rome Sept. 25 – Oct. 2, living in the Domus Sanctae Marthae and dining daily with Pope Francis.
“We spoke continuously about the relations between Judaism and Christianity,” he said. “How could we deepen the dialogue? What should the next step be? And we spoke about the opening of Pius XII’s archives, the crisis of current society and how to face it, the trip to Israel … it was a special period.”
They met again in January, when Skorka visited Rome with a delegation of Jews from Argentina, speaking of their joint commitment to peace in the Middle East.
“Pope Francis can focus his efforts on this goal,” Skorka said, because as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict draws “special attention”, its “worthy and just conclusion would work as a paradigm for the resolution of other conflicts” in the world.
In their meetings together, Skorka and Pope Francis have also discussed about how to foster relations between Catholicism and Judaism, he said.
“During my second visit to the Vatican, I asked Pope Francis what should be, in his view, the next step of Jewish-Catholic dialogue. He promptly responded: ‘Theological.’”
Such a terse response is typical of Pope Francis, the rabbi said.
“Given his Jesuit formation, he responded to my question, and left in my hands the development of the response.”
When Skorka asked what he ought to read, Pope Francis gave him two recommendations: “The Promise,” by Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, who was Archbishop of Paris from 1981 to 2005; and “Two Roads, One Redemption,” by Yoel Ben Arye.
“Bergoglio sees and feels Judaism as the mother of his faith,” Skorka said. “It is not a mere intellectual perception: it is a sentiment which constitutes an important part of his personal faith.”
Pope Francis will be landing in the Holy Land on Sunday, May 25, 2014 and staying through Monday, May 26th. While in Jerusalem, the Pope will celebrate Holy Mass with the Ordinaries of the Holy Land.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
16:30 – Arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport. Open coverage; details to be issued separately. Discourse of the Holy Father
17:45 – Arrival at the helipad of Jerusalem on Mount Scopus
18:15 – Private meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew Iat the Apostolic Delegation in Jerusalem. Signing of a joint declaration.
19:00 – Ecumenical meeting on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. Discourse of the Holy Father
20:00 – Dinner with Patriarchs and Bishops and the Papal suite at the Latin Patriarchatein Jerusalem
20:00 – Reception for foreign journalists at the media center (Mamilla Hotel)
Monday, May 26, 2014
08:15 – Visit to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Muhammad Ahmad Hussein in the building of the Great Council on the Esplanade of the Mosques. Discourse of the Holy Father
09:10 – Visit to the Western Wallin Jerusalem
09:45 – Lay a wreath at Mount Herzlin Jerusalem
10:00 – Visit to Yad Vashemin Jerusalem. Discourse of the Holy Father
10:45 – Courtesy visit to the two chief rabbis (Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yosef Yitzhakand Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau) at Heichal Shlomo in Jerusalem, next to the Jerusalem Great Synagogue. Discourse of the Holy Father
11:45 – Courtesy visit to the President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem. Discourse of the Holy Father
13:00 – Private audience with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, at Notre Dame Centerin Jerusalem
13:30 – Lunch in the Papal suite at Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem
15:30 – Private visit to Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I at the building next to the Orthodox church of Viri Galileaion the Mount of Olives
16:00 – Meeting with priests, religious men and women and seminarians in the Church of Gethsemaneat the foot of the Mount of Olives. Discourse of the Holy Father
17:20 – Holy Mass with the Ordinaries of the Holy Land and the Papal Suite in the Room of the Cenaclein Jerusalem. Homily of the Holy Father
19:30 – Transfer by helicopter from the helipad on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem to Ben Gurion International Airport
20:00 – Farewell from the State of Israel at Ben Gurion International Airport
20:15 – Departure from Ben Gurion International Airport for Ciampino Airport in Rome
HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE - Official Site
Ping!
Praying for Pope Francis’ safety during this visit. Lord, help the Israelis protect him.
Lord, give not only Pope Francis a safe trip, but help him by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring the good news of the Gospel of Jesus to the place where it all began. Amen.
Amen.
So what does that make Islam, a child of his faith?
News flash to Skorka: The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of our Faith.
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