The Visit of Pope John Paul II
Minister Melchior's Speech to Pope John Paul II at the Western Wall
Jerusalem, March 26, 2000
Your Honor, the Pope:
Thousands of years of history are looking down on us from atop this sacred
mount and from amidst the stones of this remnant of our holy Temple. And
they see you here.
Thrice daily, for thousands of years, Jews have prayed toward this place
from North, South, East and West - indeed from every corner of the globe.
We have never stopped praying. We have never stopped yearning: "May our
eyes behold God's merciful return to Zion".
In the torturous dungeons of the Inquisition, while awaiting the hangman's
noose, when cramped in cattle cars bound for Auschwitz, Treblinka or
Maidanek, and in the heat of battle defending our State, Jews have longed
for and prayed toward this holy place.
According to our tradition, "God's presence has never budged from this
Western Wall". This place demonstrates in the most concrete way the
never-ending bond between the Creator of the World and the Jewish people.
So it was then, so it is today when we - through His Grace - have returned
to our eternal homeland and capital.
We welcome your coming here as the realization of a commitment of the
Catholic Church to end the era of hatred, humiliation, and persecution of
the Jewish people.
In the name of the Government of Israel and the Jewish People, we stand
here today to call out in the loudest and clearest of voices: "No
longer!!"
No longer may we pervert the sublime values of religion, to justify war.
No longer may we call God's name, as we strike down those created in His
image.
We say: "No longer!" For today begins a new era, in which we all lift our
eyes to the heavens and commit ourselves to search every ancient path and
to pave bold, new highways that will bring peace to all religions and to
all believers - Jews, Christians, and Moslems, alike. A new era, in which
Faith in God will be the symbol of: peace and brotherhood among nations,
justice, and concern for the suffering of every one of His creatures.
No longer. For today we commit ourselves to end the manipulation of the
sanctity of Jerusalem for political gain. Jerusalem must reject hatred,
struggle, and bloodshed, and be again the "City of Peace" and a source of
holiness.
In response to your call to advance the cause of a religious peace, I am
honored to announce my intention to begin work immediately towards the
establishment of an inter-religious forum to which will be invited
representatives of the three great monotheistic faiths in order to promote
peace among religions in this sacred land, in this region, and all over
the world.
Let us do our utmost to realize the Prophet Isaiah's song of peace:
"And I shall bring them to my holy mountain, and cause them to rejoice in
my house of prayer. Their offerings and sacrifices will be welcome on my
altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples."
[Isaiah, 56:7]
The sanctity of Jerusalem is uplifting. It compels us to rise above what
divides us, and provides us with the inspiration and vision to join in
finding a way that will bring us all: "life, and not death; blessing, and
not affliction".
We welcome your coming here in peace, and we wish you blessing and peace
as you depart.
"May He who makes peace in the heavens, make peace on us and for all
Israel. And let us say, 'Amen.'"