International Jewish bodies have called upon the Vatican to "clarify" a new Papal edict expanding use of an old prayer that asks Divine help for Jews to overcome their blindness.
Pope Benedict XVI issued a directive last week, authorizing expanded use of a prayer service known as the Tridentine Mass. The phrase "perfidious Jews" was removed from the liturgy in question by Pope John XXIII in 1959, such that the anti-Semitism that accompanied it for centuries is not self-evident. However, the prayer, recited on Good Friday, still includes a prayer for the conversion of the Jews, asking Divine help in removing "the veil from their hearts" and overcoming their "blindness."
How do we now sit and dialogue when the other side believes we are blind and need to be converted?
Jews have responded with great disappointment. The leadership of IJCIC (International Jewish Committee for Inter-Religious Consultations) has sent an urgent letter to the Cardinal responsible for Catholic-Jewish relations, asking for "clarification" regarding the decision. The letter noted the "profound concern within Jewish circles" that have greeted this decision, adding that it can be construed to have turned back the clock on the improvements made in Jewish-Catholic relations since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960's.
French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard said on Saturday that the prayer could be changed if it caused difficulties with Jews.
The head of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, said the Papal decision was a "body blow to Catholic-Jewish relations." He told the Catholic News Service, "They understand that 'perfidious' was offensive, but how is this any less offensive?" Foxman noted that the previous pope, John Paul II, had been "very courageous to bring about reconciliation and repair 2,000 years of terrible history in terms of understanding Jews, calling Jews the elder brothers of Christianity... How do we now sit and dialogue when the other side believes we are blind and need to be converted?"