The following letter to the editors was sent to the members of
GEM (Greenport Ecumenical Ministries), and is reprinted here, with permission:
Dear GEMs,
On behalf of Congregation Tifereth Israel and myself, I extend our heartfelt condolences to our Catholic brothers and sisters on the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis. His papacy has accompanied me through most of my rabbinic journey, and when I think of the role of the pope through a rabbinic lens, I think of Pope Francis. He embodied for me the vital and often challenging dialogue between tradition and progress, between conservatism and liberalism — a tension felt across the globe and within all faiths.
In these “interesting times” we live in, being a spiritual leader is no easy task; to lead the global Catholic Church with humility and compassion is a profound responsibility, and one that Pope Francis bore with dignity. I was privileged to attend a 2016 Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican through Project Genesis, seated just three rows from the tabernacle. Though I did not understand a word he said in the two-and-a-half-hour liturgy, the experience was beyond language. Surrounded by a sea of faithful, I felt as if I were witnessing a moment as close as possible to ancient times in Jerusalem, when the High Priest presided over offerings in the Holy Temple.
Sitting with my yarmulke among a million Catholics, I was deeply aware of how remarkable this moment was — an encounter that would have been unthinkable just a half-century ago.
My interfaith work with Don and Fr. Roy, as well as our growing friendship with the GEM community, continues to affirm the bridges we’ve built and the hope we share. Pope Francis, with his spirit of inclusion and emphasis on shared humanity, continued making such moments possible.
May his memory be a blessing, and may he rest in peace.
Gadi
