Antipope Francis praises deceased Rabbi of Rome

Catholicnewsagency.com reports: "Rabbi Elio Toaff, the first rabbi to welcome a Pope to a Roman synagogue, died Sunday at the age of 99. Pope Francis remembered him with gratitude, praising him as “a man of peace and dialogue.” The Pope lauded Rome's former Chief Rabbi in his Monday remarks to a delegation from the Conference of European Rabbis. The papal audience was the first for the conference, which represents about 700 religious leaders of many Orthodox Jewish communities in Europe. Pope Francis, writing to Rome’s current Chief Rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, recalled the legacy of Rabbi Toaff. He especially remembered the rabbi’s historic encounter with Pope John Paul II in 1986. “I remember with gratitude his generous commitment and sincere availability in fostering dialogue and the fraternal relations between Jewish and Catholic people, whose meaningful outcome was Rabbi Toaff’s memorable meeting with St. John Paul II at the Roman Synagogue,” the Pope said."...