Pope aims to continue Catholic-Jewish dialogue with visit to Rome synagogue

Vatican City, Oct 13, 2009 / 08:23 am

The Holy See's press office released details this morning of the Pope's previously announced visit to the Synagogue of Rome as well as the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's offices in Rome.

The Holy Father will first visit the headquarters of the FAO on November 16 to mark the opening of the World Summit on Food Security. The international summit is being held during the organization's 36th general conference, taking place November 18-23.

As previously announced by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict will also pay a visit to the Synagogue of Rome on January 17, 2010.

The date was chosen to coincide with “the 21st Day for the study and development of dialogue between Catholics and Jews, and of the Feast of the 'Mo'ed di Piombo' which falls on the same day.”

According to the press office, “The feast commemorates a miraculous event of 1793 when the Jews of Rome escaped an attack by the populace of the city thanks to a sudden storm which doused the fires that had been ignited against the gates of the ghetto.”