Pope's Revised Prayer "Insulting to Jews"

[AgnosTheist]

spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,542872,00.html

*Jewish groups around the world have condemned Pope Benedict XVI’s new version of a Catholic Good Friday prayer. SPIEGEL ONLINE talks to prominent German rabbi Walter Homolka about why the prayer is insulting to Jews and discusses alleged anti-Semitic tendencies within the Catholic Church.

Rabbi Walter Homolka: “The Catholic Church does not have its anti-Semitic tendencies under control.”
Around the world, millions of Catholics are celebrating Good Friday, when they commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. But for many Jews, this year’s ceremonies leave a bitter aftertaste, due to a controversial new version of a prayer that many claim is anti-Semitic.

Last month, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI had revised the so-called “Good Friday Prayer for the Jews” which forms part of the Tridentine Mass, often referred to as the Latin Mass. The new version, translated from the Latin, reads: “Let us also pray for the Jews: That our God and Lord may illuminate their hearts, that they acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all men.”

Several leading Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the International Jewish Committee on Inter-Religious Consultations, have strongly criticized the new wording of the prayer. However only the very small minority of Catholics who celebrate the Good Friday mass in Latin will actually hear the allegedly anti-Semitic version of the prayer.

Find out how you can reprint this SPIEGEL ONLINE article in your publication. The new wording is similar to the original version of the prayer, which read: “Let us pray also for the faithless Jews: that almighty God may remove the veil from their hearts; so that they too may acknowledge Jesus Christ our Lord.”

This original version was toned down at the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council which introduced many far-reaching reforms of the Catholic Church, including replacing the Tridentine Mass with vernacular liturgies. The Good Friday Prayer then became: “Let us pray for the Jewish people, the first to hear the word of God, that they may continue to grow in the love of his name and in faithfulness to his covenant.”*
It seems the new Pope Benedict has a talent for offending other religions. the muslims, the protestants, the jews…who’s next?

 

[Lion_of_Narnia]

Let’s see, those SAME groups predicted Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ would provoke anit-semitic actions around the world.

It didn’t.

IF YOU and they WANT to read anti-semitism into the Pontiff’s prayer or anything else, no matter how tenuous or strained, well go ahead…

We’ll see what happens, or dosnt happen (again)

 

[Steadfast]

I have no problem at all with this and am very glad that the Pope and liturgists have not caved in to the pressures of pluralism.

With this he has said exactly what the Bible says and what every Christian ought to believe:

Jesus gave His Life for the World. There is no peace with God for anyone outside Him. The Jews are His own lineage, He came to them first as their Messiah. They did not receive Him.

It is right to pray that they would do so now.

 

[AgnosTheist]

IF YOU and they WANT to read anti-semitism into the Pontiff’s prayer or anything else, no matter how tenuous or strained, well go ahead…

This issue has a lot more to do with being “Insulting” rather than being ‘anti-semitic’. Right? Put yourself in their shoes.

 

[Fidelis]

It seems the new Pope Benedict has a talent for offending other religions. the muslims, the protestants, the jews…who’s next?

Rather, it seems that some individuals are determined to be offended unless you say only what they want them to say or to say nothing at all. The only satisfactory thing for the Pope to say would have been “Jews don’t need to be told about Jesus.” But that would have been a lie.

It is a central tenet of the the faith of all Christians (including Catholics) that the Good News of Jesus Christ is for ALL men. Even though Jews have a covenant with God, Christians believe that Christ has established a more perfect and fulfilled covenant and this is found in its fullness in the Catholic Church. Why would we not want to share that with everyone?

If Christians share this Good News in a friendly, non-coercive way with others and they choose not to accept, what is the harm in that? (the fact that Christians have not always done this is neither here nor there – that was the past, this is now).

 

[tiggeriffic]

Well I agree, the prayer is very insulting. Also a little embarrassing.

 

[Refugium]

covenant

."[/INDENT]
It seems the new Pope Benedict has a talent for offending other religions. the muslims, the protestants, the jews…who’s next?
If he weren’t offending other religions, AgnosTheist, I’d think he was doing something wrong. The Gospel IS an offense to unbelievers, according to the Bible. Jesus said blessed are you when the world hates you, but woe to you when the world loves you. I’m glad that Benedict made it clear that the Jews DO in fact need to convert to the one, saving Catholic faith in order to be saved.

 

[AgnosTheist]

Rather, it seems that some individuals are determined to be offended unless you say only what they want them to say or to say nothing at all. The only satisfactory thing for the Pope to say would have been “Jews don’t need to be told about Jesus.” But that would have been a lie.

for your own enlightenment, please review the Vatican II revision of the prayer (highlighted in blue in the OP).

If Christians share this Good News in a friendly

well jewish groups around the world find Benedicts version to be UNFRIENDLY.

 

[inJESUS]

I’d say no one offends you unless you want to be offended…

 

[AgnosTheist]

If he weren’t offending other religions, AgnosTheist, I’d think he was doing something wrong.

Pope John Paul II did not offend other religions. Rather he built bridges, to the point of kissing the Quran. So he did things wrong?



hmm that might have been going too far.

 

[Fidelis]

Well I agree, the prayer is very insulting. Also a little embarrassing.

How is it either? Perhaps you know better than St. Paul? I suggest you read Romans chapters 9–11:

usccb.org/nab/bible/romans/romans9.htm

 

[AgnosTheist]

I’d say no one offends you unless you want to be offended…

the mods and admins here get offended way too often for very little reason. i even got warned for saying “amen” in a secular manner.

so can you blame the jews when the Pope blanketed them as being unilluminated?

 

[Refugium]

Pope John Paul II did not offend other religions. Rather he built bridges, to the point of kissing the Quran. So he did things wrong?

http://www.traditioninaction.org/RevolutionPhotos/Images/055_popekissesKoran.jpg

hmm that might have been going too far.

Yes, actually a lot of us DO think he was wrong for kissing the Koran! He might have “built bridges” with false religions, but he scandalized a great number of Catholics! We aren’t called to “build bridges” with other religions–we are called to CONVERT other religions. The Koran is a blasphemous book and should be burnt rather than kissed.

 

[Fidelis]

for your own enlightenment, please review the Vatican II revision of the prayer (highlighted in blue in the OP).

Thanks, but I’m more familiar with this prayer from the vernacular Mass than you are. That Mass or prayer is not under discussion, the Tridentine one is. There’s nothing that says the prayers in each Mass have to be identical.

well jewish groups around the world find Benedicts version to be UNFRIENDLY.

As I said before there are people out there that get offended no matter what you say. These groups are not official spokesmen for anyone. Many prominent Jews that have spoken on this are more rational and recognize the prayer for what it is – a charitable hope that all will share what the petitioner considers a blessing – the knowledge of Jesus Christ. That doesn’t mean they will accept Jesus, but they can at least appreciate the sentiment and intent of the prayer without slipping into perpetually offended victim-status mode.

 

[scott1228]

Do you know what is really insulting to Jewish people (and Christians)?

The Bible.

It records the many sins that came through pride and self-assurance.

I am against demeaning other people, but sometimes we need to be on guard against going overboard with political correctness.

Scott

 

[water]

The Pope’s job is not to make people to like him, but to pray for people to Love Jesus. He does not do anything different than the Apostles.

 

[Refugium]

Do you know what is really insulting to Jewish people (and Christians)?

The Bible.

It records the many sins that came through pride and self-assurance.

I am against demeaning other people, but sometimes we need to be on guard against going overboard with political correctness.

Scott

That’s right. “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them; If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, if one rise again from the dead.” (Luke 16:29, 31)

 

[Kaninchen]

Do people like Southern Baptists pray for the conversion of Catholics, I wonder?

Meanwhile, perhaps it’s time that all we squabbling Jews got together and started to pray that Catholics should be converted to something harmless - like Quakerism or Buddhism or something.

 

[inJESUS]

the mods and admins here get offended way too often for very little reason. i even got warned for saying “amen” in a secular manner.

nothing personal…these are forum rules…

you say you do not believe in Jesus, in the Bible ecc…no one warns you for it.

so can you blame the jews when the Pope blanketed them as being unilluminated?

 

[AgnosTheist]

the Quran says that Allah’s curse is on me, and i simply smile at it because it means nothing to me what the author of the Quran thinks about me or anything…if i want to get offended, i can as well, can’t i?

The Quran does not demonize the catholics specifically. thats why it does not matter to you. Same thing with the bible when it broadly refers to unbelievers as deserving hell. Thats why muslims and the rest of us infidels just smile on it too.

a prayer is simply a prayer …if you don’t believe in what i believe, it does not mean i am insulting you in my prayer, because a prayer’s intention is for the good of the other party, even if they do not believe it…they can simply dismiss it as wishful thinking, but an insult? surely not.

you and me, we are irrelevant. what matters are the figureheads. The Pope.
The Dalai Lama.
The Caliphs.
The President of the United States.
Even Billy Graham.

The these folks single out a specific group, people are bound to be offended.