Further Catholic-Jewish Cooperation Is Urged

WALTHAM, Mass. — Roman Catholics and Jews should continue to work to heal divisions between the two religions as a way to foster world peace, a Vatican official said this week.

“To heal this wound, a wound which is still open ... is a contribution to peace in our world,” said Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican’s top official working for reconciliation with Jews.

“There cannot be peace in the world without peace among religions,” Kasper said. “Jews and Christians have to become allies in the world today.”

Kasper made his remarks during a meeting at Brandeis University, part of a brief visit to the United States.

Historically, relations between Catholics and Jews have been marked by “many, many dark points,” Kasper said.

In recent years, Jews and Catholics have clashed over Pope Pius XII and his alleged failure to raise his voice against the Holocaust. Vatican officials vowed this year to release World War II-era documents that they said would shed a better light on Pius’ wartime actions.

But Kasper said the two religions also could work together to solve new challenges, including terrorism and xenophobia.

He commended Americans for helping improve Christian-Jewish relations.