Rosenthal and others pointed to other troubling signs from Catholic leaders since Benedict was elected pope four years ago, among them the revival of the Latin Mass long sought by traditionalists within the church. (The passage in the Mass about conversion of Jews was later revised, although Jewish leaders remained critical.)
Jewish leaders also cited the pope's decision this year to lift the excommunication of four ultra-conservative Catholic bishops, including one who denied that Jews died in Nazi gas chambers.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday, July 24, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 1 inches; 64 words Type of Material: Correction
Conversion dispute: In a July 7 article in Section A about a dispute between Catholics and Jews over the issue of conversion, Rabbi Gilbert S. Rosenthal, director of the National Council of Synagogues, was quoted as saying, "If you want to covert us, just say so candidly and overtly." He actually said: "If you want to convert us, just say so candidly and overtly."
In addition, they criticized a proposal by U.S. Catholic bishops to eliminate a sentence from the church's catechism for adults that says the covenant God made through Moses remains "eternally valid" for Jews. Catholic leaders called the revision minor, saying it was meant to reflect Catholic understanding that God's covenant with the Jewish people is affirmed on its own but also through Jesus.
"At the end of the day, there is a backtracking from where we thought we were," Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said of Catholic-Jewish relations. "There are things happening in the church. The unintended consequences are to chisel at that relationship."
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duke.helfand@latimes.com
