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Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone gesturing during Wednesday's press conference. (AP) Last update - 04:17 21/07/2007 Wiesenthal Center urges Vatican to quickly remove offensive prayer By News Agencies Jewish groups welcomed the Vatican's suggestion that a highly controversial prayer for the conversion of Jews could be dropped from a revived Latin rite, urging it to do so quickly. The Simon Wiesenthal Center said in statement on Friday that the prayer "considered offensive and dangerous to Jews" could be interpreted by some as justifying anti-Semitism. Meanwhile, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomed comments by the Vatican's No. 2 official on Wednesday indicating that the prayer could be dropped from the re-introduced Latin-language rite. Advertisement Speaking at a news conference, Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said "we could simply study" the possibility of substituting the prayer. The Wiesenthal Center's Rabbi Abraham Cooper said traditionalist Catholic groups like the Society of Saint Pius X, which has campaigned for the return of Latin Mass, continued to blame Jews for the death of Jesus and preached "classic anti-Semitic themes as part of their religious message." "By acting quickly and decisively to embrace the current form of the prayer to be used exclusively in all languages - including Latin - the Vatican could make it abundantly clear that no group that wishes to come back to the good graces of the Church will be welcome without leaving theologically based anti-Semitism behind," he said. "We appreciate (Bertone's) statement ... making it clear that efforts will be made to replace the disturbing Good Friday prayer for Jewish conversion," said Rabbi David Rosen, who is in charge of interfaith relations at the AJC. Rosen said in a statement that, contrary to the criticism that painted the pope's decision as a retreat from advances in Catholic-Jewish relations, this clarification in effect confirms those strides and even advances them. The Pius X society, which claims one million members, split with Rome after the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s which, among other reforms, jettisoned Latin rites in favour of local languages. The Pope's decision to allow priests to say the old Latin Mass more frequently is in part aimed at healing the rift with traditionalists Bookmark to del.icio.us   Auschwitz gimmick U.K. Tory chief draws fire for calling school visits to Auschwitz a gimmick. 5 Stops in Galilee Rock hares, peach orchards, a taste of the past, and walking the Jesus trail.   1.   WORDS CAN HURT 15:43  |  TOBIA 20/07/07   2.   There they go again 16:11  |  Samuel Smith 20/07/07   3.   I really think that Catholics and Jews should join 16:24  |  Catholic Guy 20/07/07   4.   Why Does Anyone Care What the Catholics Pray For? 16:28  |  mike 20/07/07   5.   To #2 16:47  |  Eduardo 20/07/07   6.   AND THE TALMUD? 17:00  |  XP 20/07/07   7.   two faced hypocrisy 17:05  |  Mike 20/07/07   8.   And while we`re at it let usrevise some very offensive Talmudic r 17:19  |  Avshalom Beni 20/07/07   9.   #2 HaVE YOU BEEN 17:31  |  TOBIA 20/07/07   10.   WIESENTHAL CENTER 17:36  |  Roberto 20/07/07   11.   #9 Tobia 17:47  |  Samuel Smith 20/07/07   12.   Shunned then and now 17:48  |  Baz mann 20/07/07   13.   Talmud 18:08  |  correct 20/07/07   14.   Talmud 18:10  |  correct 20/07/07   15.   mike #7 *sigh* 18:14  |  correct 20/07/07   16.   tobia #9 18:15  |  get serious 20/07/07   17.   Eduardo 18:37  |  India 20/07/07   18.   This is not complicated 18:39  |  Jay 20/07/07   19.   TOBIA 18:40  |  Hindu 20/07/07   20.   Mike - AMEN! 18:42  |  Me Me Me! 20/07/07   21.   "4" Mike 18:43  |  Labhras 20/07/07   22.   Europe Should Remove It 18:46  |  Yosemite 20/07/07   23.   #8Avshalom Beni-Talmud vs Gospels 18:50  |  HS 20/07/07   24.   Response to Samuel Smith 19:03  |  Jay 20/07/07   25.   Baz Mann. A question. 19:17  |  phillipe theodosius 20/07/07   26.   Culture vs. Religion 19:22  |  Eli 20/07/07   27.   Muslim texts and preach 19:42  |  Peter 20/07/07   28.   #7The only hypocrite is you 19:42  |  HS 20/07/07   29.   Yosemite 20:22  |  CU 20/07/07   30.   I find the following in the Talmud offensive 20:24  |  Samuel Smith 20/07/07   31.   2. Samuel Smith: There we go again 20:25  |  KUTW 20/07/07   32.   7. Mike: two faced hypocrisy 20:36  |  KUTW 20/07/07   33.   For Hindu, # 19 20:39  |  Solon 20/07/07   34.   Cooper`s white cane.... 20:46  |  Webster 20/07/07   35.   CU I Went Undercover In Europe As A Nobody 20:47  |  Yosemite 20/07/07   36.   9.TOBIA 20:58  |  KUTW 20/07/07   37.   The Church has blood on its hands, murdering Jews thru centuries. 21:00  |  Mary 20/07/07   38.   To Hindus: Jewish spirituality is non-idolatrous 21:11  |  AV 20/07/07   39.   3. Catholic Guy: I agree with you 21:46  |  KUTW 20/07/07   40.   Jay in Miami 22:16  |  J PUdentain 20/07/07   41.   Stop calling Gentiles "Goys" 22:35  |  dan 20/07/07   42.   Um, Jews also have offensive prayers... 22:58  |  Jon 20/07/07   43.   Those who hate Jews falsify what the Talmud says 22:59  |  *rolleyes* 20/07/07   44.   The Bible calls people "Goy", it just means "nation". 23:14  |  AV 20/07/07   45.   The Word i Prefer is "Gentile" 23:27  |  mike 20/07/07   46.   Why is this such a problem? 23:32  |  shai 20/07/07   47.   SAmual Smith 23:50  |  TOBIA 20/07/07   48.   The Church is itself satanic when it demonizes innocent Jews. 23:52  |  Mary 20/07/07   49.   Posting sent toSAmual Smith meant for 23:56  |  TOBIA 20/07/07   50.   LOL! 00:17  |  AV 21/07/07   51.   Jews and education in the UK 00:18  |  Samuel Smith 21/07/07   52.   48. Mary 00:19  |  KUTW 21/07/07   53.   This Antijewish prayer may be heretical. Mass shouldnt have it. 01:14  |  Mary 21/07/07   54.   "...classic anti-Semitic themes"!! 01:33  |  David Rothstein 21/07/07   55.   #48 Mary 01:33  |  Connie 21/07/07   56.   #53 Mary 01:38  |  Write to a Rabbi 21/07/07   57.   GOY - IS ANY NON-JEW 01:55  |  * BEN JABO 21/07/07   58.   Mary - throw out your bible 02:09  |  Connie 21/07/07   59.   Connie 03:07  |  Mary 21/07/07   60.   Peter #27 03:53  |  Jacoub 21/07/07   61.   ALL humans are children of God. ALL humans are children of Satan. 04:22  |  Mary 21/07/07   62.   A question. 05:52  |  Maureen Ann 21/07/07   63.   Something I forgot. 05:58  |  Maureen Ann 21/07/07   64.   #57*BEN JABO. The name `Goy` is not the problem. 06:19  |  Maureen Ann 21/07/07   65.   Who cares about this Pope? 06:52  |  Steve 21/07/07   66.   This Prayer 07:08  |  Yosemite 21/07/07   67.   why one religion pressures another? 07:27  |  Zib 21/07/07   68.   #30,What you find "offensive in the Talmud" is NOT IN THE TALMUD 07:28  |  Puregoldj 21/07/07   69.   More Nazi propaganda about the Talmud from #51 07:44  |  Puregoldj 21/07/07   70.   WHAT ABOUT THOSE "KIDS"? 07:57  |  Indrajaya 21/07/07   71.   THE JEWS NEED THE GOSPEL? 08:07  |  Antony 21/07/07   72.   #22 Borat 08:14  |  megs 21/07/07   73.   #59 Mary 08:50  |  Connie 21/07/07   74.   It is a lie to believe the Church never changes. 10:41  |  Mary 21/07/07   75.   Mary 12:42  |  sweis Melbourne 21/07/07   76.   Maureen Anne 12:44  |  Zelkha 21/07/07   77.   Middle East Unity 13:40  |  Dr MI Barton MA. MBA 21/07/07   78.   Hypocrisy 14:17  |  Aaron Levitt 21/07/07   79.   7 Mike, please give us links to examples, and sources... 14:40  |  Nannette 21/07/07   80.   # 78, AARON LEVITT 15:55  |  indrajaya 21/07/07   81.   It would be comic if... 17:46  |  Colin Wright 21/07/07   82.   Jewish interference in Catholic prayers 18:29  |  Opus Dei 21/07/07   83.   #2 Samuel Smith STFU 18:39  |  Ben 21/07/07   84.   Catholic Prayer 20:49  |  Rachel 21/07/07   85.   Christians praying for Jews 14:36  |  Mike 22/07/07   86.   jesus 14:50  |  Rab Burns 22/07/07   87.   Prayer in Question is Not Being Said 15:54  |  Alicia 22/07/07   88.   Vatican prayer for the Jewish 15:59  |  Rhonda Cornell 22/07/07   89.   St. Paul as Saul a devot jew mudered christians 21:40  |  marty 22/07/07   90.   Isreal and the jews 21:49  |  connie 22/07/07   91.   The jews among getiles 21:58  |  gentile 22/07/07   92.   Traditional Latin Mass 22:26  |  Joseph 22/07/07   93.   Jews & "Offensive Prayer" 23:00  |  Kevin J. Symonds 22/07/07   94.   Praying for the Jews 23:43  |  Paulette Jerome 22/07/07   95.   Joseph 23:54  |  sweis Melbourne 22/07/07   96.   Damnation? 03:45  |  sweis Melbourne 23/07/07   97.   Prayer 04:40  |  George 23/07/07   98.   Weird to see this anti-semitism - 05:24  |  Tricia 23/07/07   99.   Weird to see this anti-semitism 05:32  |  Tricia 23/07/07   100.   Traffic Court 06:29  |  Joseph 23/07/07   101.   George - huh? 06:32  |  Tricia 23/07/07   102.   Tricia 07:16  |  sweis Melbourne 23/07/07   103.   Potatoes 07:42  |  Joseph 23/07/07   104.   # 94 What if We Jews Had a Similar Prayer? 08:42  |  Joan Stuchner 23/07/07   105.   And here are the results... 09:52  |  Cat a`holic 23/07/07   106.   to Mary 10:41  |  MaryT 23/07/07   107.   #54 11:02  |  Mary R 23/07/07   108.   #105 Ignoramus 11:10  |  Theresa 23/07/07   109.   #104/ Fight Fire with Fire 11:17  |  Michelle 23/07/07   110.   #54 David 11:31  |  Ramon 23/07/07   111.   Tricia 101 11:44  |  George 23/07/07   112.   To Rab Burns re Jesus 11:55  |  Mary Theresa 23/07/07   113.   #70 12:13  |  Tony 23/07/07   114.   Tricia 101/ 12:35  |  Mary Allen 23/07/07   115.   To George and Maryellen 15:35  |  Tricia 23/07/07   116.   Cata holic 15:46  |  sweis Melbourne 23/07/07   117.   Sad 16:54  |  Tricia 23/07/07   118.   My apologies, Tricia 19:22  |  Mary Allen 23/07/07   119.   sweis melbourne 95 23:05  |  get serious 23/07/07   120.   get serious 03:15  |  sweis Melbourne 24/07/07   121.   sweis melbourne 120 04:02  |  get serious 24/07/07   122.   serious? 08:48  |  sweis Melbourne 24/07/07   123.   sweis melbourne 122 10:05  |  get serious 24/07/07   124.   Latin babbling haters 12:32  |  Luca 24/07/07   125.   serious? 23:30  |  sweis Melbourne 24/07/07   126.   sweis melbourne 125 03:28  |  get serious 25/07/07   127.   serious? 07:37  |  sweis Melbourne 25/07/07   128.   Offence 12:41  |  Me 25/07/07   129.   Offence 13:22  |  Ern 25/07/07   130.   Goy/Goyim is said to mean unblessed, not favored 15:46  |  Ruth 25/07/07   131.   Rab Burns, Nothing written from those of Jesus time?Try the Bible 16:06  |  from beginning 2 end 25/07/07   132.   to 108 01:02  |  carmen withallduere 26/07/07   133.   Response To Samuel Smith, XP, Mike and thier likes 08:13  |  Sylvia 26/07/07   134.   sylvia 133 09:53  |  accuracy 26/07/07   135.   catholics want jews to accept jesus 13:16  |  kay 07/02/08   136.   Classic anti-Semitic themes and the death of Jesus. 12:00  |  Simon 09/02/08   137.   Jesus is the problem 18:15  |  Dan 09/02/08   138.   An Idea 03:43  |  Baron 24/02/08

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