{"id":44,"date":"2010-04-28T13:54:14","date_gmt":"2010-04-28T13:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/rabbishmuleyunleashed\/2010\/04\/my-meeting-with-pope-benedict.html"},"modified":"2010-04-28T13:54:14","modified_gmt":"2010-04-28T13:54:14","slug":"my-meeting-with-pope-benedict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/rabbishmuleyunleashed\/2010\/04\/my-meeting-with-pope-benedict.htm","title":{"rendered":"My Meeting with Pope Benedict"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had my meeting with the Pope today at his Wednesday audience. Let me first give you an idea of the setting.<\/span><\/p>\n

There were approximately fifteen thousand people from all over the world gathered in St. Peter’s Square speaking an untold number of languages. The sun shone very brightly. The day was perfect. The Pope arrived in his pope-mobile to great excitement and fanfare. His vehicle was open-top. I assumed they didn’t need the protective bubble that has become so iconic on TV because there was security screening for each person present. As the Pope drove among the crowd they shouted ‘Viva Papa – Long live the Pope.’ There seemed to be genuine affection and excitement among the Catholic pilgrims who had gathered from all over the world.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n


<\/b><\/font><\/p>\n


<\/i><\/font><\/p>\n


<\/font><\/p>\n

The pope drove up the incline and arrived in front of St. Peter’s
\nBasilica. The people who were there to meet him sat on both sides of his dais.
\nThere were clergymen from all over the world: Cardinals, Bishops, and priests
\nfrom the Catholic Church. I sat next to three Anglican Bishops from the UK.
\nWith me was my friend Gary Krupp, head of the Pave the Way Foundation, who had
\narranged the visit and several of his officers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pope read greetings in five languages and an American priest
\nwelcomed our group publicly from the Pope’s dais. The Pope waved to us.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the formal ceremony, lasting about two hours ended, the Pope
\ncame off his dais and moved along the receiving line to greet us. Gary
\nintroduced me to the Pope warmly with my formal titles. I gave the Pope a
\nspecial gift we had gotten for him. It was a beautiful dual-time Phillip Stein
\nwatch. The Pope lit up when he saw it and said, “Look, it has two faces on it,”
\nwhich, as it happened, was the perfect introduction for me to share the issues
\nI had prepared. I said, “Pope Benedict, it’s an honor to meet you. This watch
\nhas the times of Rome and Jerusalem on it, signifying the eternal friendship
\nbetween our two faiths. I also hope that when you wear it the future of the Jew
\npeople will always be on your mind, as Israel struggles with existential
\nthreats, like Iran, who threaten to wipe it off the map. You’re voice against
\nthese threats is essential, your holiness.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 He said ‘Yes,’ nodding his head in agreement, and I continued.<\/span><\/p>\n

 “In addition, Your holiness, the dual clock face is a symbol
\nof my request that you please join us in establishing a global family dinner
\nnight which we call, ‘Turn Friday Night into Family Night.’ It involves what we
\ncall the triple two. Two hours of uninterrupted time that parents give their
\nkids, inviting two guests, just as I am your guest today, and discussing two
\nimportant subjects.”<\/span><\/p>\n

While I said this Pope Benedict again nodded.<\/span><\/p>\n

I concluded, ‘Your holiness, it’s so important that our two
\nreligions work together on this.’ He said warmly, ‘We will work together. We
\nwill work together.’ He held my hand while we spoke. The watch we gave the Pope
\nas a gift has special resonance because the owner, Will Stein, is an orthodox
\nGerman who converted to Judaism.<\/span><\/p>\n

I had invited my close friends David Victor, Chairman of the Board
\nof AIPAC, and Rodney Adler, to the meeting with the Pope. Rodney emphasized to
\nthe Pope the importance of partnering with me on creating an international
\nfamily dinner night and how much he believed in the idea. The Pope again warmly
\nagreed. David then respectfully, but firmly, pressed the Pope on the need to
\naddress the Iran crisis, ‘a regime which denies the Holocaust and threatens to
\ndestroy Israel and is building nuclear weapons.’ The Pope said, “I have spoken
\nabout it and will continue to.”<\/span><\/p>\n

As soon as the meeting was over, I was granted another meeting with
\nCardinal Walter Casper, President of the Pontifical Council for Christian
\nUnity.’ Gary introduced me to the Cardinal and made a strong pitch for the
\nimportance of the worldwide Church partnering with us to create our
\ninternational family dinner initiative. The Cardinal, a very pleasant priest
\nfrom Germany who has been close friends with Pope Benedict for forty years,
\nstrongly endorsed the idea and related his memories of family dinners with his
\nown parents.<\/span><\/p>\n

I made the case to the Cardinal that the pedophile priest scandal
\nhas many influential American commentators skewering the Church for being an
\nall-boys club, seemingly anti-family. It was essential, I argued, that the
\nChurch recapture its reputation as one of the world’s foremost champions of the
\nfamily. He agreed emphatically and said he agreed that the Church should
\npartner with us.<\/span><\/p>\n

My friend David Victor then again brought up the threat that Iran
\nposes to Israel. The Cardinal said that Iran’s nuclear program is a threat to
\nthe world. He asked David to write to him and Cardinal Bertone, the Cardinal
\nSecretary of State, with suggestions of what could be done.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was an exciting day. Five of my nine children were with me, as
\nwell as both my parents.<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ll share more later, G-d willing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is founder of This
\nWorld: The Values Network.<\/i> On May 14<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup> he
\nwill publish his major work on Jewish values, Renewal: A Guide to the
\nValues-Filled Life.<\/i> <\/span>www.shmuley.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –<\/span><\/p>\n

*Follow Shmuley on TWITTER!  <\/span>http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/RabbiShmuley<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

*Shmuley’s on Facebook! <\/span>http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/facebook-shmuley<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

*Buy Rabbi Shmuley’s newest book THE KOSHER SUTRA at  <\/span>http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/koshersutra<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

*Join the national “Turn Friday Night Into Family Night”
\ninitiative.  Go to <\/span>www.FridayisFamily.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

*See Shmuley on the web at <\/span>www.Shmuley.com<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

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I had my meeting with the Pope today at his Wednesday audience. Let me first give you an idea of the setting. There were approximately fifteen thousand people from all over the world gathered in St. Peter’s Square speaking an untold number of languages. The sun shone very brightly. The day was perfect. 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