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Contact: Dr. Faydra Shapiro, Director, Galilee Center for Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations, 011-972-55-661-9700, jcrelations@yvc.ac.il
ISRAEL, June 17, 2013 /Standard Newswire/ -- The Galilee Center for Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations hosted hundreds of Jews and Christians from Italy and Israel who came together last night to honor the memory of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini.
The historic nature of the event was evident by the speakers, a lineup that included the Italian ambassador to Israel (His Excellency Francesco Maria Talo), the Latin patriarchal vicar of Israel (His Excellency Bishop Giacinto Boulos-Marcuzzo) and the president of the Italian Rabbinical Council and former chief rabbi of Venice (Rabbi Eliyahu Richetti). Other distinguished guests included His Eminence Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio and Rabbi Anshel Kreiman, former chief rabbi of Chile.
Cardinal Martini was an accomplished scholar, and a public defender of the reforms of Vatican II, a man whose passions included the Bible, his beloved Jerusalem, and the possibilities for dialogue and peace between Jews and Christians. He insisted that "Simple anti-antisemitism is not enough. It is thus necessary to develop motivations for a friendship that in the heart of the other increasingly reads the thoughts that we share, and that finds a space for the differences, making sure however that these differences do not lead to conflict or dismissal."
The Italian ambassador to Israel, His Excellency Francesco Maria Talo referred to Cardinal Martini as a true ambassador, standing as both a flag, representing his Church and his country, and as a bridge, serving to connect with other faith communities and cultures.
Carlo Maria Martini was born in Italy in 1927. In 1944 he entered the Society of Jesus and he was ordained as a priest in 1952. Martini was an academic, with earned doctorates in theology and Scripture. From 1962 he held the chair of Textual Criticism at the Pontifical Biblical Institute and went on to serve as rector from 1969-1978. There he encouraged Catholic students to come to Israel to study a program of Judaism, archaeology and Hebrew language. At the Pope's request in 1979 he went on to serve as archbishop of Milan. Martini was ordained an archbishop in 1980 and elevated to cardinal in 1983. With his retirement in 2002, Martini returned to scriptural study and Jerusalem, moving to the Pontifical Biblical Institute until his declining health brought him back to Italy. He passed away after years of struggling with Parkinson's, in 2012.
Father David Neuhaus, General Latin Vicar for Hebrew Speaking Catholics and Migrants emphasized the ongoing work that needs to be done in Jewish-Christian dialogue, particularly in Israel. "Here and on this occasion I would like to call for more courageous dialogue between Jews and Christians living in the state of Israel. There is much more work to do together - to repair the world and spread the values we share. I'm sure we have an advocate in heaven in the person of Carlo Maria Martini."
The Galilee Center for Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations is proud to be part of advancing Jewish-Christian dialogue both inside and outside of Israel. The Center is part of the Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, located just outside of Nazareth. The event was co-sponsored by the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel.
