The first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV is a message for all of humanity, as can be seen in its analysis of burning issues that commonly challenge all human beings. He himself expresses his desire to “enter into dialogue with all men and women of our time” (§2). He emphasizes this in §§219-223 where he speaks of the urgency of a dialogical approach for the improvement of human life. Echoing this perspective, I wanted to offer my first impressions of Magnifica Humanitas, a text t

Much has been written about Jorge Mario Bergoglio as a person, a priest, and the Pope of the Catholic Church. Even more will certainly be written and researched, further shaping the image with which he will be remembered in history. Having had the privilege of forming a sincere friendship with him, I believe that the first anniversary of his passing is an opportune time to share some reflections and facts about the 266th Roman Pontiff.

The Torah distinguishes between two historical moments in the origins of the people of Israel. The first is described in the Book of Genesis, which details the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs who made a covenant with God.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 2026 The Holocaust was the result of disgraceful racial prejudices that dehumanized targeted groups. In societies in which moral and spiritual values had collapsed, civil and religious leaders advanced their political goals by characterizing selected groups as pests or as dangerous. Those who were thus singled out included the neuro-divergent, foreigners, non-heterosexuals, and, of course, Jews, all of whom, and others, became the vict

A Jewish look at Christmas Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism share common origins in late Second Temple Judaism. Jesus, along with his disciples, was a Jew who observed the biblical commandments in the Torah. According to the Gospel accounts, particularly the Synoptic Gospels, his actions and teachings were based on the same scriptural sources as those studied by the rabbis. The texts regarded as sacred by Jesus and his disciples were also considered sacred by the rabbis. Bot

The Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue organized a celebratory event to mark the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of Nostra Aetate. This event took place on October 28, 2025, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. The following morning, Wednesday, October 29, Pope Leo XIV dedicated the General Audience to this significant anniversary and reflected on the positive outcomes resulting from the reception of Nostra Aetat

Speech delivered at DARING PEACE - International meeting for Peace, organised by SANT'EGIDIO. Rome, October 26th - 28th, 2025. On these days, the sixtieth anniversary of the promulgation of the conciliar document Nostra Aetate by Pope Paul VI, which had initially been commissioned by Pope John XXIII, is celebrated. Its Chapter IV marked a turning point in the 2,000 years of Jewish-Christian relations, on the one hand, and was the Catholic response to the Shoah , on the other

When the Jerusalem Temple still stood, the rituals to be performed on Yom Kippur had two central figures and two specific places.

Rosh Hashanah, whose literal translation from Hebrew is the "head" or "beginning" of a new year, is connected to b’reshit, "in the beginning," the first word in the Hebrew Bible that begins the story of Creation. Rosh and Reshit have the same Hebrew consonantal root (reish-alef-shin).

Hiroshima eighty years later The Hebrew Bible certainly has three main protagonists in its 24 books: God, the people of Israel, and...

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church on March 13, 2013, I didn’t need to travel to Rome to feel...

As soon as he was elected Pope, Francis called me on the phone and gave me the email address we could use to keep in touch with each...

Reflections for Pesach and Easter 5785 / 2025 The foundational event that transformed the Benei Israel into a people was their liberation...

The biblical book of Leviticus describes in chapter 25 the society that the people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (or Israel) were to form...

Reflections on International Holocaust Remembrance Day Resolution 60/7, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on November...

The universal message of Yom Kippur According to the Talmudic sages, Chapter 19 of the biblical book of Leviticus is one in which most of...

Reflections for the Jewish New Year 5785

Reflections for the Jewish New Year 5784 Rosh Hashanah is a holy day that for Jews epitomizes fundamental aspects of our faith...

10 years of Pope Francis' papacy

Passover and Easter