‘Shalom’ – Pope hosts kosher reception for Jewish leaders at the Vatican

Pope Francis has hosted a delegation from the World Jewish Congress, where kosher food was served at the Vatican. 

The Pope welcomed a 200-member delegation from WJC, lead by president Ronald S. Lauder.

“Dear friends, in light of the religious heritage that we share, let us regard the present as a challenge that unites us, as an incentive to act together,” Pope Francis said in his speech to the delegation.

“Our two communities of faith are entrusted with the task of working to make the world more fraternal, combatting forms of inequality and promoting greater justice, so that peace will not remain an otherworldly promise, but become a present reality in our world.”

The Pope also addressed the ongoing war in Ukraine, calling it a “great and sacrilegious war that is threatening Jews and Christians alike, depriving them of their loved ones, their homes, their property and their very lives!”

President of the British Board of Deputies, Marie van Der Zyl, told Jewish News that it was a “historic event arranged by the World Jewish Congress to demonstrate the bonds of friendship between the Catholic and Jewish communities, over 100 of whom were represented.”

It was incredible experience to have a kosher meal in the Vatican,” van Der Zyl, who has just been named commissioner for Gender Equality for WJC, added.

“Dear friends, I thank you most heartily for this visit. May the Most High, who has “plans for peace and not for harm” (Jer 29:11), bless your good works. May he accompany you on your journey and lead us together in the way of peace. Shalom!” the Pope concluded.