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| Pope Leo XIV (JTA) |
But identifying a detail from a leader’s past that reflects
the everyday person tends to make the faithful feel closer to that leader. Not
that either of those two religious figures sought to be identified that way.
Certainly not Rav Scheinberg.
Be that as it may, the fact that the Catholic Church has a
new leader might seem like something Jews need not concern themselves with.
What difference, after all, does it make how the leader of another religion
guides his flock?
The answer is that in that respect, it may not make any difference at all. But we ignore that leadership change at our own peril.
Christianity was once more unified under a single leader - the
Pope. Eventually, the Church splintered, giving rise to multiple Protestant
denominations. Roman Catholicism is what remained of the original Church. It
retained all its doctrines and traditions, including the election by the
College of Cardinals of an infallible leader known as the Pope. (For the
purposes of this discussion, I’m not addressing the earlier split that led to
the Eastern Orthodox Church.)
This man - the Pope - holds influence over a billion and a
half Catholics worldwide. Because of the doctrine of papal infallibility, his
opinions are regarded by the faithful as near-Gospel.
Even for those who are neither Catholic nor Christian, the
Pope is seen as a man of great piety and wisdom on matters beyond religion. He
holds the power to reshape centuries-old doctrine. This was exemplified by
Vatican II, when Pope Paul VI honored the wishes of his predecessor, Pope John
XXIII. Vatican II declared that Jews today cannot be held responsible for the
death of their god over 2,000 years ago. It also formally abandoned the idea of
supersessionism - the belief that Christianity had replaced Judaism. Instead
it now recognized Judaism as a brother religion from which Christianity was
born.
Two thousand years of Christian persecution, pogroms,
inquisitions, and, ultimately, the Holocaust, finally ended as a matter of
religious doctrine. With few exceptions, most Christians today no longer view
Jews as the killers of their god. Instead, they see us as spiritual kin. This
shift is preached from the pulpits. Again, with a few holdout priests refusing
to accept Vatican II. All because the ‘infallible’ Pope told them this is what
they must now believe.
This is not to say the Pope’s word is accepted universally
or without question. But his influence is vast, extending far beyond the walls
of the Vatican or even the Catholic Church.
Which brings us to Pope Leo XIV. We need to care about how
he feels about Israel and the Jewish people. We need to know where he stands on
the Hamas massacre of Jews on October 7th , the war in Gaza, the
Israeli hostages, the Palestinian casualties, and the two-state solution.
As of now, we know virtually nothing about Pope Leo’s views
on any of these issues. That hasn’t stopped the pundits from speculating.
His predecessor, Pope Francis, began his papacy with strong
ties to the Jewish community. But near the end, his progressive focus on global
suffering led him to emphasize the plight of the Palestinians, while largely
ignoring the suffering of Israeli hostages and their families, or the toll on
Israeli soldiers fighting to protect their people. His relationship with the
Jewish community soured as a result.
That was particularly disappointing. But Pope Leo was raised
in Chicago - a city with a large Jewish population. Which pundits say enabled him
to personally interact with us. But that is unlikely. He grew up on the South
Side, where few Jews – if any – lived. And his missionary work in Peru offered no
exposure to the small Jewish community there. His life’s work was focused on
serving the poor of Peru
As far as anyone knows, Pope Leo has never publicly
expressed views on issues of concern to the Jewish people. But there are, however, a couple
of hints about what his views might be. Each pointing in the opposite
direction.
On the positive side, Jewish Insider reports:
"Prevost… studied at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago under John T. Pawlikowski, a formative leader in Catholic-Jewish relations, who has described his former pupil as 'a very open-minded person.'"
Pawlikowski was indeed a friend of the Jewish people. His
biography states:
"John has been an active participant in Christian-Jewish dialogue and wider interfaith efforts for nearly fifty years. He served six years as President of the International Council of Christians and Jews, and multiple terms on the board of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. He played a significant role in developing the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., serving four terms on its board by presidential appointment."
It stands to reason that Pope Leo, having studied under such
a figure, may have absorbed a positive disposition toward the Jewish people.
On the other hand, his well-documented compassion for the
poor and marginalized could predispose him to see Palestinians as victims of
colonial oppression, living under apartheid-like conditions.
It’s difficult to know which way he will lean. But whichever
way he does, it will influence countless people (especially Americans) who look
to him as a moral compass.
Given the alarming rise in antisemitism since October 7th, my hope is that
Pawlikowski’s influence will guide Pope Leo’s heart more than any progressive
ideology he may otherwise feel compelled to embrace. Now more than ever, we
need public voices sympathetic to our perspective. Ones with the reach and
credibility to make a difference.
