It was a historic meeting at the Vatican between Pope Francis and a group of rabbis and community leaders who traveled to Italy to discuss several matters of extreme significance to the Jewish community with the worldwide leader of the Catholic Church.
The seeds for the meeting had been sown last summer when longtime community activist Rabbi Edgar Gluck, chief rabbi of Galicia, met with Pope Francis in Krakow. At the time, the two discussed various issues pertaining to Jewish life in Europe, including the continuing desecration of Jewish cemeteries and burial places all across the continent, and the pope invited Rabbi Gluck to the Vatican to continue their conversation at a later date.
That dialogue continued on May 8 with Rabbi Gluck, who was joined by his son Rabbi Zvi Gluck, founder and director of Amudim, which advocates for victims of abuse and addiction; noted author and kabbalist Rabbi Dov Ber Pinson; and several other delegates. The pontiff met privately for half an hour with Rabbi Edgar Gluck, Rabbi Zvi Gluck, and Rabbi Pinson in his private offices located outside the church, discussing the preservation of Jewish cemeteries and mass graves and the importance of respect and tolerance between people of all faiths. Noting that one of the biggest evils facing the world today is a preoccupation with wealth that has people worshipping money more than G‑d, the pope invoked the fundamental tenet of the word “Shema,” stressing the importance of following our hearts and believing in one true G‑d as a means of building bridges between peoples of all faiths and nationalities.
In an emotional exchange with the pope, Rabbi Pinson spoke about the Tzelem Elokim, the divine spark within every person, and the importance of working in unison to recognize the oneness of G‑d as a means to foster greater harmony and holiness throughout the world. Drawing on his experiences with abuse and addiction through his work with Amudim, Rabbi Zvi Gluck took the opportunity to express his gratitude to Pope Francis for his advocacy on behalf of young victims. The pope responded with passionate words of his own, vowing zero tolerance in cases of child abuse, adding, “We must keep the children safe.”
While this may have been his first visit to the Vatican, Rabbi Edgar Gluck has met previously with two other popes in Poland in order to advocate for Jewish causes. A meeting with Pope Benedict XVI resulted in the restoration of a mass grave in Lubaczow, Poland, which is believed to hold the bodies of more than 2,000 Jews who were murdered during World War II. Prior meetings between Rabbi Gluck and Pope John Paul II also led to significant preservation efforts at Polish graves and holy sites. Over the years, several chief rabbis of Israel have held papal audiences of their own, and following in the tradition of the son of the Chasam Sofer, Rabbi Gluck dressed in his Shabbos clothing as a sign of respect when meeting with the high-ranking religious leader.
After the conclusion of the private meeting, Pope Francis took the time to meet with the remainder of the delegation, with the room breaking out in spontaneous song, ending the meeting with a spirit of optimism and unity.