Drawing from their common recognition of the Ten Commandments, Jews and Christians can and should unite in defending God, life and the family, Benedict XVI proposed today as he visited the Synagogue of Rome.
The Pope became today the second Pontiff to visit the Roman synagogue; John Paul II went there almost 24 years ago, in 1986. And it was the third synagogue the German Pontiff has visited, after Cologne and New York.
His speech reflected on the common spiritual patrimony of Jews and Christians, and affirmed the efforts of the Apostolic See to save Jews during World War II.
The Bishop of Rome particularly highlighted the Ten Commandments as “a shining light for ethical principles, hope and dialogue, a guiding star of faith and morals for the people of God.” He said the Commandments are a “beacon and a norm of life in justice and love, a ‘great ethical code’ for all humanity.”
They “shed light on good and evil, on truth and falsehood, on justice and injustice, and they match the criteria of every human person’s right conscience,” he added.
ROME, JAN. 17, 2010 (Zenit.org)