Vatican Rebukes Jewish Supremacists
by Dave Cooper
It’s hard to comprehend the level of audacity, the flagrant boldness that Jewish supremacists can exhibit. But it’s never a surprise when they reach too far, too fast and get their hands slapped for their efforts. Then they scurry about to manage the backlash only to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.
This past week the Vatican rejected Israeli demands that the Pope condemn attacks “against Jews in the same way he condemns terror attacks against others.” Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls declared that “Vatican policy would not be dictated by Jerusalem.”
The Vatican also equated with terrorism Israeli attacks against Palestinians. “It’s not always possible to immediately follow every attack against Israel with a public statement of condemnation,” because “attacks against Israel were sometimes followed by immediate Israeli reactions not always compatible with the norms of international law,” Joaquin Navarro Valls said. “It would, consequently, have been impossible to condemn the former and remain silent on the latter.”
Apparently not satisfied with telling Jewish leaders Vatican policy would not be dictated by Jerusalem, the Vatican spokesman continued, “Just as the Israeli government understandably does not allow its pronouncements to be dictated by others, neither can the Holy See accept lessons and directives from any other authority concerning the orientation and contents of its own declarations.”
It’s not difficult to see that the Vatican was very plainly telling the Jewish supremacists to mind their own business!
This rebuke of Israel was occasioned by Israel’s recent complaint that the Pope had “deliberately failed” to include attacks against Israel in his July 24 condemnation of recent terrorism in Egypt, Britain, Turkey and Iraq. The Israeli Foreign Minister whined, “We expected that the new Pope, who on taking office emphasized the importance he places on relations between the Church and the Jewish people, would behave differently.”
Not missing a chance for free publicity and new donations, Abe Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote to Navarro to express his concern about Israel’s omission from the “litany of places beset by terrorism.” Foxman said he was “especially troubled” by assertions that Israel’s policies broke international law but he did not refute any of the accusations made against Israel.
Neither did Rome’s chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, refute any of the Vatican’s statements against Israel when he lamented that the Holy See is a political institution and added, “I hope that Benedict, who knows theology so well, will quickly try to also understand the ways of politics and the art of diplomacy.”
Talk about audacity! Reverse the situation and imagine Christian leaders trying to dictate to the Chief Rabbi what he will preach to his flock. There would be cries of “anti-Semitism!” and public charges of hate. The media would have a field day. Endless repetition of the holocaust mantra would ensue until public apologies were offered.
In this case, however, the Jewish supremacists will lay low for a while, the media will quietly walk away from the issue, and soon all will be forgotten.
Then, a little older but not much wiser, the supremacists will be at it again. That’s how it’s always gone; that’s how it will always go.
Pictured: Abe Foxman and Pope Benedict XVI.
