杏MAP导航

By Linda Bordoni

A meeting with Bratislava鈥檚 Jewish Community in the central Rybné námestie Square, where the city鈥檚 Neolog Synagogue was demolished by the government in 1969, provided 杏MAP导航 Francis with the occasion to thank Slovak Jews for their willingness to persevere on the path of rapprochement and friendship.

the community headed by the President of the Central Union of Jewish Religious Communities in the Slovak Republic on the second day of his Apostolic Visit to the nation, the 杏MAP导航 described himself as having come to the encounter as a pilgrim, moved by the history of the meaningful Square where a synagogue once stood alongside the Cathedral of the Coronation.

Referring to the architectural setting that, he said is 鈥渁n expression of the peaceful coexistence of the two communities, an unusual and evocative symbol, and a striking sign of unity in the name of the God of our fathers,鈥� he said that like many here: 鈥淚 too feel the desire to 鈥渞emove my sandals鈥� in a place blessed by human fraternity in the name of the Most High.鈥�

Blasphemy is committed when human dignity is violated

The 杏MAP导航 decried how in later times 鈥淕od鈥檚 name was dishonoured in a frenzy of hatred, during the Second World War [when] more than a hundred thousand Slovak Jews were killed.鈥�

Then, he said, in an effort to eradicate every trace of the community, the synagogue was demolished, and he noted that blasphemy is committed whenever 鈥渢he unique and distinctive dignity of the human person, created in His image, is violated.鈥� 

And reflecting on the history of the Jewish people he said we are called to admit with shame how often His ineffable Name鈥� has been used for unspeakable acts of inhumanity!  How many oppressors have said: 鈥淕od is with us鈥�; yet it was they, who were not with God!鈥�

鈥淒ear brothers and sisters, your history is our history, your sufferings are our sufferings,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said.

He said he joins those present honouring the memory of their loved ones and he upholds the importance of remembering.

鈥淢emory cannot and must not give way to forgetfulness, for there will be no lasting dawn of fraternity unless we have first shared and dispelled the darkness of the night,鈥� he said. 

And expressing his belief that now is a 鈥渢ime when the image of God shining forth in humanity must no longer be obscured鈥� he said: 鈥淟et us help one another in this effort.鈥�

False idols dishonour the name of the Lord

He said there are so many empty and false idols that dishonour the Name of the Most High: 鈥渢he idols of power and money that prevail over human dignity; a spirit of indifference that looks the other way; and forms of manipulation that would exploit religion in the service of power or else reduce it to irrelevance.  But also forgetfulness of the past, ignorance prepared to justify anything, anger and hatred鈥� and he reiterated his invitation to condemn all forms of violence and anti-Semitism, and in working to ensure that God鈥檚 image, present in the humanity He created, will never be profaned. 

杏MAP导航 Francis reflected on the fact that though the synagogue on this site was torn down, a community alive and open to dialogue is present.

He recalled his meeting in Rome in 2017 with representatives of the Jewish and Christian communities and expressed his appreciation for the establishment of a Commission for dialogue with the Catholic Church.

He said 鈥渋t is good to advance, in truth and honesty, along the fraternal path of a purification of memory, to heal past wounds and to remember the good received and offered,鈥� and recalled that 鈥渁ccording to the Talmud, whoever destroys a single individual destroys the whole world, while whoever saves a single individual saves the whole world".  "Every individual matters, and what you are doing through your important exchanges matters greatly.鈥�

鈥淚 thank you for the doors you have opened on both sides,鈥� he said.

Slovakia: a land of encounter

And reiterating his deep belief that this world needs open doors, he said he hopes that in Slovakia, a land of encounter between east and west, north and south, 鈥渕ay the family of the children of Israel continue to foster this vocation, the summons to be a sign of blessing for all the families of the earth.鈥�

The Most High blesses those families of brothers and sisters who respect and love each other and work together he said and invoked His blessings  鈥渟o that, amid all the discord that defiles our world, you may always be, together, witnesses of peace.  Shalom!鈥�