Rabbi Yisrael Lau
Lau: Give pope a chance
As Foreign Ministry fumes over lack of Vatican condemnation of terror in Israel and Holy See fires off harsh words of its own, ex-chief rabbi Yisrael Lau says to wait until smoke clears
TEL AVIV - Former Israel chief rabbi, and current Tel Aviv chief rabbi, Yisrael Lau hopes that the current diplomatic fallout between the Jewish State and the Holy See will pass,
The fallout started when the Foreign Ministry summoned the papal envoy to Israel Archbishop Pietro Sambi.
Lau, known for his ties with the late John Paul II, said, “I hope things will return to normal, because in life diplomats on both sides must abide by the saying ‘Sages, watch your words.’ Ties are still fragile.”
Deepening Feud
By Ynetnews and agencies
Referring to criticism about pope's neglecting to condemn Palestinian terrorism, Holy See says it will not take 'lessons or instructions from any other authority on the tone and content of its own statements'
The government’s expressed its displeasure that, last Sunday, Pope Benedict XXVI condemned terrorism in Iraq, Egypt, Turkey and Britain but ignored the Netanya suicide bombing.
Sources in the Foreign Ministry said that making no mention of terror in Israel was tantamount to legitimizing the murder of Jews.
Rather than apologizing for the omission, the Vatican responded, “The Holy See cannot take lessons or instructions from any other authority on the tone and content of its own statements.”
Rabbi Lau asked that the new pope be given “the benefit of the doubt, and not turn him into our enemy, something which is not justified. I would give him a few months in his job.” The chief rabbi added that if French President Jacque Chirac can turn into a friend of Israel “then surely the pope, who never said against Israel.”
Lau contended that the oversight might have to do with the fact that there was nothing new about terrorist attacks in Israel: “It’s dog bites man, but in London, … it’s man bites dog.”
