Rabbi Amar to Pope: Thwart J'lem gay parade
Chief Sephardic Rabbi Shlomo Amar asks Holy See to back efforts to block plans to hold J'lem gay parade
Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar on Tuesday sent a letter to The Holy See. What's in the letter? Neither a request for world peace nor a common prayer for merging Judaism and Christianity into one faith. In the letter, the rabbi asks Pope Benedict 16 to assist in efforts "to thwart the event of the world gay parade which will take place next month in Jerusalem."
"We were shocked to hear of plans to hold the world Pride Parade in the Holy City," rabbi Amar wrote, "The city which the entire world looks up to due to its holiness and glory, is now being attacked by evil people who wish to violate its honor and humiliate its greatness with deeds that theTorah despises, as well as all other religions. There is no need to elaborate about their plans and evil actions that bring humanity's dignity to the ground."
Amar expressed concerns over "bad influence" of the gay community on children and teenagers, who could be corrupted.
Amar said this is his opinion and the opinion of all religious leaders in Israel. "We need to have deterrence against this evil and express our objection to and disgust by these tendencies that never were so abundant."
Rabbi Metzger: Cancel parade
On Monday, Ashkenazi Chief rabbi Yona Metzger attended a meeting of international religious leaders in Moscow.
Metzger called on the attendants to act "by all means to cancel the pride parade in the Holy City of Jerusalem."
Metzger said: "As everyone knows, Jerusalem is the cradle in which the three monotheistic religions spouted. We have to unite to preserve its historical holiness and the values of purity and morality which characterize it."
Religious leaders from around the world expressed concerns that the parade will touch off violent confrontations between the participants and members of the city's religious communities.
During the event, which was organized by the Russian Orthodox Church on the suggestion of Russia's Inter-Religious Council and includes representatives from 40 countries, including Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia, Metzger said political disputes should be left behind and that ‘countries must stand united around their belief in one God.’
