| Publication |
2010.
|
| Summary/Abstract |
During his address on the occasion of his visit to the Synagogue in Rome in January 2010, Pope Benedict spoke of three areas in which Jews and Christians - on the basis of the Ten Commandments - can join forces to transform society: the commitment to make people recognize God and to fight idolatry; the commitment to respect and protect life; and the commitment to preserve and promote the sanctity of the family. Jews and Christians can make use of spiritual and moral resources to involve themselves in these causes - and these areas of concern can be seen as important elements of the spiritual infrastructure that a well ordered society needs. The article describes Pope Benedict's relationship to the State of Israel, Judaism and the Jewish tradition using as key terms the concept of 'moral resources' and the concept of 'spiritual infrastructure'. The main claims are that: Pope Benedict sees a permanent solution to the challenges to peace in Israel in the establishment of a spiritual infrastructure; he considers memory, remembering and remembrance as key moral resources; and, in his view, Christianity cannot develop its moral and spiritual resources without an ethics of memory honouring its Jewish roots.
|