B16 not only mends fences but builds bridges* with the rabbinate.

Rabbis after pope meeting: Crisis over

“The Jewish people, who were chosen as the elected people, communicate to the whole human family knowledge of and fidelity to the one, unique and true God,” Pope Benedict XVI told a delegation from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate on Thursday in Rome.

“This was not just another meeting,” commented Haifa Chief Rabbi She’ar-Yashuv Cohen, who headed the delegation. “This was a special experience, a turning point, the end of a crisis. We could not have expected a warmer reception.”

Wow. Talk about a coup. Well done, lieber Papst. As a German of a certain age, I strongly suspect Benedict has a tremendous desire to not merely maintain but advance Catholic-Jewish relations. Whatever the reason, he seems to have just done a spectacular job in turning a débâcle into a genuine moment of progress.

*As befits a pontifex.

Via David Goldman @ First Things.

Shalom Kitty! I guess it’d be a zucchetto if you were to give it to the Pope.

Confucius, Œc. Vol.

Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu.