April 17, 2005

Upon the announcement of the next pope, will Jews say "amen" or "oy vey"?

When the election process of the papal conclave gets under way on Monday, 115 cardinals will have to choose from among their ranks one of several leading figures – men of divergent views, some who would appear likely to follow the course of John Paul II's special relationship with the Jewish people, and some who could threaten that relationship.

On one side are men such as Dionigi Tettamanzi, archbishop of Milan, who was a guest of honor at a Chabad succa in Milan last year; and Christoph Schoenborn, archbishop of Vienna, whose theological view of Jews and their claim to the Holy Land is highly supportive.

No cardinal is suspected of harboring anti-Semitic views, or of threatening to undermine John Paul II's revolutionary work in Jewish-Catholic relations.

Nonetheless, the election of Jean-Marie Lustiger, a French Jewish Holocaust survivor who converted as a teenager, would undoubtedly be a painful event for the Jewish community.

Even Francis Arinze of Nigeria – touted as a favorite because of his experience and because the Catholic Church sorely needs to reach out to its African adherents – leaves room for concern. Would he be a strong opponent of Islamist forces, given the tumultuous clash of Muslim and Christian communities in his own country, or would he choose the path of appeasement instead? Or perhaps the Catholic-Islamic dialogue would be so important to him that the church's relationship with Jews would fall by the wayside?

Then there are candidates such as Claudio Hummes of Brazil, who straddles that line. On one hand, Hummes has been a staunch supporter of Jews and the church's relations with Jews.

"Hummes is very close to the Jewish community in Brazil. We have a great comfort level with him," said Israel Singer, chairman of the World Jewish Congress and cochair of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations. At a recent conference of more than 30 cardinals in New York with Singer and other Jewish leaders, Hummes described the declaration of Jewish chosenness in Nostra Aetate as a personal inspiration.

However, as Singer noted, Hummes's focus on the poor and the underprivileged (he has attributed terrorism to poverty and social injustice) borders on the so-called "liberation theology" that John Paul II rejected. Such a theology is closely related to far left-wing politics that usually include an identification with causes such as the Palestinian "struggle" against a "colonialist" Israel.

Similar to Hummes – but hardly considered close to Jews – is Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras. "Let's say that the Palestinians would get sympathy from someone of his background," said Rabbi David Rosen, the international director of interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee.

Add Colombian-born Dario Castrillon Hoyos, who pooh-poohed charges that Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ was anti-Semitic, and the picture of Latin American cardinals looks discouraging – especially since Latin America holds the highest number of Catholics in the world.

"The further away they are from Jewish centers," said Rosen, "the lower their priority for Jewish relations."

Within Europe, there are candidates with whom world Jewry could expect to find a receptive ear: Beyond Schoenborn, for example, there is Godfried Danneels of Belgium, a liberal who has publicly challenged Europe's Muslims to moderate their religion.

German-born Joseph Ratzinger, perhaps the closest cardinal to John Paul II, was also the pope's doctrinal vanguard and partner in the positions that changed Vatican-Jewish relations. Singer, however, believes the 78-year-old Ratzinger is more of a "pope-maker" than a papal contender, while Rosen believes it is unlikely that a European pope would be chosen from beyond Italy.

Perhaps that could mean the papacy of Angelo Scola of Venice, who has also been involved in Jewish dialogue. Singer described the 62-year-old Scola as a man of great personality whose knowledge of languages could serve him well in a diplomatic role.

"No matter who is going to become pope, his first concern will not be the Jews," said Singer. "The church is facing its own crises... so the likelihood of a major step forward [in Jewish relations] is much less than the likelihood of a step back. At best we can hope for holding steady.

"Whatever happens, though, I don't want to go back to what we had before John Paul II, which was a formal exchange of homilies between Jews and Catholics. The most important achievement this pope had with Jews," Singer said, "was holding open and frank discussions. And that's why we had such tremendous success."

SOURCE: Reuters