COMMITEE FOR THE YOUTH MEETING ON THE MOUNT OF BEATITUDES
COMMUNIQUÉ n. 2

THE CHIEF RABBINATE BLESSES THE HOLY FATHER QUOTING THE PROPHECIES OF ISAIAH AND MALACHI

    More than one hundred thousand youth will participate to the Mass with the Holy Father on the Mount of Beatitudes. It will be the biggest attendance of the papal visit: the numbers are still more surprising considering how few the local Christians and how difficult it is to get to the place. Fifteen Cardinals and 100 archbishops and Bishops will concelebrate with John Paul II.  Numerous local Jewish, Palestinian and Druze authorities and also authorities of the central government will be present.

“Just to get the hill near the city of Korazim ready, the State of Israel spent 3 million dollars….”Some things are worth every bit of trouble that goes into them”, wrote Time magazine.

 A balloon with Palestinian slogans flying at the arrival of the Pope’s plane, found its way on the media; but the real news is that the flag of the Vatican is raised all over Jerusalem and –above all- that the chief rabbinate of Israel, in a public declaration, has welcome the Holy Father blessing him as a dear friend; he has also proclaimed the hope that the messianic prophecies of Malachi about Elijah, who will come to announce the Messiah, and the one of Isaiah about the advent of the era of the universal peace among  nations, may be fulfilled.

Only few days ago it would have been unthinkable for Israel to receive the Pope in this way: it was the Pope’s asking for forgiveness what has truly touched everyone’s hearts is.

Many Rabbis have understood, better than many Catholics, that they are witnessing a novelty: Rabbi Steven B. Jakobs of the Kol Tikvah Temple di Woodland Hills has said:

“ This statement is powerful, historical; it talks about a new world order, about understanding”

And Rabbi Alon Gotten-Gottsheim, head of Elijah School, a Jerusalem-based academic institute:

“ For the past 35 years, the church has engaged in a systematic reexamination of its attitude to Judaism. Time has come for Jewish thinkers and rabbis to undertake a parallel task”

After two thousand years the place that saw Jesus proclaim the sermon on the Mount to the crowds, will see again a crowd of disciples gathered from all the corners of the earth to listen to the Vicar of Christ: already 50,000 pilgrims have begun to arrive.