{"id":6063,"date":"2013-03-19T15:36:46","date_gmt":"2013-03-19T21:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=6063"},"modified":"2013-03-19T15:36:46","modified_gmt":"2013-03-19T21:36:46","slug":"at-installation-pope-francis-gives-shout-out-to-jews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/at-installation-pope-francis-gives-shout-out-to-jews\/","title":{"rendered":"At installation Pope Francis gives shout out to Jews"},"content":{"rendered":"

ROME (JTA) \u2013 Pope Francis gave a shout-out to Jews during the open-air Mass that formally installed him as pontiff.<\/p>\n

Francis began his homily Tuesday by greeting the Catholic dignitaries and faithful in the huge crowd that crammed St. Peter\u2019s Square and the surrounding area. He thanked \u201crepresentatives of the other Churches and ecclesial Communities, as well as the representatives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities, for their presence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the crowd were Rome\u2019s chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni; Riccardo Pacifici, the president of the Rome Jewish community; and more than a dozen other Jewish representatives.<\/p>\n

It is said to be the first time that Rome\u2019s chief rabbi has attended a papal inauguration.<\/p>\n

Francis\u2019s predecessor, Benedict XVI, had invited Di Segni to his inauguration on April 24, 2005, but Di Segni did not attend because it was the first day of Passover.<\/p>\n

Benedict also singled out Jews in his welcoming remarks, greeting \u201cwith great affection \u2026\u00a0 you, my brothers and sisters of the Jewish people, to whom we are joined by a great shared spiritual heritage, one rooted in God’s irrevocable promises.”<\/p>\n

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