Rome’s chief rabbi: Jews 'have nothing to discuss' with Vatican

MILAN – As the pope was preparing for his trip to Israel this week, Italy’s rabbis seemed to agree about the importance of carrying on a dialogue with Catholics, but not as much about what “dialogue” means.

Francis I, who is traveling to Israel, Jordan and the West Bank in the company of a rabbi and a Muslim community leader – Abraham Skorka and Omar Abboud, both fellow Argentinians – has described his trip as a pilgrimage of “communion, hope and peace.” When hosting a delegation of American Jewish Committee leaders in the Vatican in February, the pontiff praised interfaith ties, and “the heritage of our mutual knowledge, esteem and friendship.”

Rome’s chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, says he is “cautiously optimistic” about the visit, but warns that interfaith dialogue is a delicate issue “that should always be approached with caution.”

Since there is no chief rabbi of all of Italy, and Rome has by far the largest Jewish community, Di Segni is de facto the country’s most prominent Jewish leader. He has met Francis on several occasions.

“There’s room [for Catholic and Jews] to discuss important issues,” the rabbi told Haaretz in a phone interview. However, he added, while he is more than keen “on good neighborly relations” with the Vatican, located just blocks away from Rome’s historical Jewish ghetto, “from the theological point of view, there is nothing to discuss.”

This is no minor issue. Indeed, “theological dialogue” – a term that refers to a range of subjects, and potentially involves a confrontation on faith-based morality and a joint discussion of the Torah – is precisely what the Vatican seems interested in.

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