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Reiterating the Catholic Church\u2019s denunciation of all manifestations of antisemitism while reaffirming the historic ties among Christians and Jews, Pope Francis has expressed his sorrow to \u201cmy Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel\u201d for the violence stemming from the October 7 attack in the country by the Palestinian group Hamas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe path that the Church has walked with you, the ancient people of the covenant, rejects every form of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism, unequivocally condemning manifestations of hatred towards Jews and Judaism as a sin against God,\u201d the leader of the Roman Catholic Church wrote in a February 2 letter<\/a> addressed to Jews in Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cMy heart is torn at the sight of what is happening in the Holy Land, by the power of so much division and so much hatred,\u2019\u2019 the pope added in his letter, which the Vatican released February 3<\/a>. \u201cThe whole world looks on at what is happening in that land with apprehension and pain. These are feelings that express special closeness and affection for the peoples who inhabit the land which has witnessed the history of revelation.\u201d<\/p>\n The letter was sent to Karma Ben Johanan, a religion scholar<\/a> at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who specializes in Jewish-Christian relations. She was part of a group of advocates behind an appeal to Francis signed by some 400 rabbis and scholars, aimed at enhancing Jewish-Christian camaraderie in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks.<\/p>\n In a response to the pontiff\u2019s letter, Johanan told L\u2019Osservatore Romano<\/a>, <\/em>a Vatican daily: \u201cWe are deeply grateful for the trust and spirit of friendship with which the Pope, and with him the entire Church, has sought to reaffirm the special relationship that unites our communities, Catholic and Jewish.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The letter served as a delayed effort to repair relations after Francis faced criticism for his initial response to the Hamas attacks, the Associated Press reported<\/a>. Francis had remarked that the Holy Land had been plunged into a cycle of unprecedented violence, which he described as part of what he termed as \u201ca sort of \u2018piecemeal world war,\u2019 with serious consequences on the lives of many populations.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n