Jewish leaders to meet pope on June 9

BRUSSELS - Jewish leaders will meet with Pope Benedict XVI on June 9 for the first time since the pontiff's election, the World Jewish Congress said Thursday.
The delegation would be led by the chairman of the International Jewish Committee on Inter-Religious Consultations (IJCIC), Rabbi Israel Singer, and World Jewish Congress (WJC) presiden Edgar Bronfman.
"The Jewish leaders hope to continue and deepen inter-faith dialogue with the Catholic Church and discuss joint initiatives", the World Jewish Congress said in a statement.
Benedict XVI succeeded the late Pope John Paul II last month as leader of the world's Roman Catholics.
Since the start of his pontificate, the 78-year-old pope has given hints into which issues he plans to address: opening ties with communist China, engaging in ecumenical dialogue, pursuing improved relations with Jews and dialogue with Islam and other religions.
Prior to becoming leader of the Roman Catholic Church, former cardinal Joseph Ratzinger held several meetings with representatives of the IJCIC and the WJC when he headed the Vatican's top doctrinal authority under his predecessor Pope John Paul II.
The late pontiff was the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to visit a Jewish temple when he was received at a Roman synagogue in 1986.

05/26/2005 17:35 GMT