Father David Neuhaus, the Jesuit responsible for the pastoral care of
Hebrew-speaking Catholics in the Holy “We were presented one by one to the Pope, and when I came to him I underlined the fact that I’m a Jesuit by saying, ‘Here I am, representing the Hebrew-speaking communities, I’m a Jesuit among diocesans and a Jew among Arabs,’” recounted Father Neuhaus, who is a convert from Judaism. “And he smiled and turned to the [Latin] Patriarch [of Jerusalem] and said, ‘Oh, another one who has the virus!’ And there was a clear sign of joy in the eyes of the Pope to see there is another Jesuit, out there somewhere on the margins, trying to serve the universal Church.”
“This is a Pope who also had a deep, deep relationship with Jews in
Buenos Aires, so also from that point of view of interreligious dialogue
he seems to be very much understanding what’s going on and what the
issues are,” Father Neuhaus continued. “Relations between the Holy See
and Israel are complex, the negotiations have been dragging on for a
very long time … Here again I think Pope Francis’ directness, his
honesty, his clear elaboration of what is going on in any particular
situation might indeed help untie some of the knots in these
negotiations.”
Link (here) to Catholic Culture
2 comments:
No disrespect to Father Neuhaus, but as St Paul says to the Galatians; 'there is neither Jew nor Greek...all are one in Christ Jesus". Saying he is a Jew among Arabs seems more provacative than pastoral.
Fr. David knows what he is saying. Faith is expressed through the culture and does not exists in vacuum. So "I am a Jew among Arabs" speaks valium.
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