Pope Leo XIV has told the world's Jewish communities that he wants to strengthen the Roman Catholic Church’s dialogue with them in a message that comes after a souring of relations between the Vatican and Israel over the war in Gaza.
The first US-born pope sent a letter to Rabbi Noam Marans, the director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), who posted the letter on X/Twitter late on Monday.
“Trusting in the assistance of the almighty, I pledge to continue and strengthen the Church’s dialogue and cooperation with the Jewish people in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra Aetate,” Leo said in the letter.
Nostra Aetate was a landmark document in the 1962-1965 Council that repudiated the concept of collective Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus and urged dialogue with non-Christian religions.
The brief document revolutionized Catholic relations with Jews after centuries of persecution and mistrust. Dialogue that ensued over the following two decades made it possible for Pope John II to become the first pontiff to visit a synagogue, giving a speech in Rome’s main temple in 1986, where he called Jews “our beloved elder brothers.”
After years of often tense relations, the Vatican and Israel signed a “fundamental agreement” in 1993 and exchanged full ambassadors the next year.
A Vatican source said Marans would attend Leo’s inaugural Mass on Sunday. More than a dozen other Jewish leaders from around the world were also expected to attend, the source said.
The AJC appreciated the invitation.
"We are deeply moved that Pope Leo XIV, so early in his papacy, has reaffirmed his commitment to Catholic-Jewish relations," the AJC said in a post on X.
We are deeply moved that Pope Leo XIV, so early in his papacy, has reaffirmed his commitment to Catholic-Jewish relations.In a letter to AJC's Director of Interreligious Affairs, Rabbi Noam Marans, he pledged to continue to strengthen dialogue with the Jewish people in the… pic.twitter.com/YC1w9gNrYQ
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) May 12, 2025
"In a letter to AJC's director of Interreligious Affairs, Rabbi Noam Marans, he pledged to continue to strengthen dialogue with the Jewish people in the spirit of Nostra Aetate."
"As we approach the 60th anniversary of this landmark declaration, we look forward to working together to deepen understanding and cooperation."
It was not yet clear if any Israeli government leader would attend the Mass. Israel's President Isaac Herzog, however, will be attending Pope Leo's coronation ceremony, scheduled to take place next week.
Previous conflict between Vatican and Israel
While the late Pope Francis often condemned antisemitism, relations between the Vatican and Israel soured after the start of the war in Gaza in 2023.
The Israeli delegation to Pope Francis’s funeral last month was headed by its ambassador to the Vatican, Yaron Sideman.
Francis, who visited the Holy Land in 2014, suggested last November that the global community should study whether Israel's military campaign in Gaza constituted genocide, in some of his most explicit criticism of Israel's conduct in its war with Hamas.