“You are our elder brothers…” – John Paul II


Tatiana, from the Haifa community, reminds us of the great figure of Pope John Paul II, on the 30th anniversary of his election to the Pontificate.

“As no other Pope in history, John Paul II will
forever be recognized as the Pilgrim of Peace
and the Apostle of Reconciliation.”
Rabbi Leon Klenicki

The month of October is full of memorable dates for the Catholic Church. One of these is the date of the election of John Paul II thirty years ago, on October 16, 1978, to the Pontificate. The Catholic Church, and with her all of humanity, began a new page of history. Pope Benedict XVI remembers: “I still hear the echo of his words, so humble, wise and full of dedication, when he responded to the question of whether he accepted the choice made by the cardinals (...)  I see before me his figure, strong and serene, on the balcony of the Basilica of Saint Peter when, for the first time, he gave the Urbi et Orbi (to the City and to the World) blessing.”

The many-sided talents of John Paul II – theologian, philosopher, actor, poet – found expression in the many domains of his activity. The essential meaning of his life was devoted service of the Lord, the Mother Church, at whose center is true man and the struggle for him. He knew how to communicate the idea of divine compassion, not only in the language of documents, but he spoke the comprehensible language of the human heart.

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The interfaith dialogue begun by the Pope, slowly progressed to the more painful knots of the historical relationships. With words of greeting and brotherly love, he entered both the mosque and the synagogue. Following the phrase of Blessed John XXIII, “I am Joseph, your brother”, addressed to the sons of the Jewish people, these new words resonated with their intimacy and respect: “You are our dearest brothers and in a certain way, we may say, our elder brothers”. As a response to his unceasing efforts at being the Pacifier and to his sincere love, the Jewish Anti-Defamation League issued the following statement: “Jews throughout the world are deeply grateful to the Pope. He has defended the Jewish people at all times, as a priest in his native Poland and during his pontificate. John Paul has denounced anti-Semitism as a “sin against God and humanity”, called upon all Christians to avoid any anti-Jewish interpretation of Scriptures, and recommended caution in preaching and teaching.”

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All the multifaceted activities of Pope John Paul II were directed towards unity: “Through Christ, with Christ and in Christ”. His own words about peace encourage us and deepen our hope and inspiration:

“Peace is not a utopia, nor an inaccessible ideal, nor an unrealizable dream.
War is not an inevitable calamity. Peace is possible.
And because it is possible, peace is our duty: our grave duty, our supreme responsibility…
And since peace, entrusted to the responsibility of men and women, remains even then a gift of God,
it must also express itself in prayer to Him who holds the destinies of all peoples in His hands”.

See a short film on John Paul II: View and listen

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