The Vatican announced today that Pope Francis will soon become the third-ever Roman Pontiff to visit the Great Synagogue in Rome, following in the footsteps of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
Known for the great emphasis he places on ecumenism, Francis will follow in the footsteps of two of his predecessors. In 1986 St. John Paul II became the first Pope to visit the synagogue. Benedict XVI imitated the gesture, making a visit of his own in 2010. According to the Vatican communique, the visit will consist of a personal encounter between Pope Francis and representatives of Judaism and the members of the Jewish Community in Rome. Specific details on the encounter, however, will be published “in due course.” Pope Francis is the latest in a string of pontiffs since St. John XXIII who have made Catholic relations with the Jews a priority.
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