John Paul II did much to create a bond between Jews and Christians, but will the next pope carry on the good work?

Although a conservative on many issues, Pope John Paul II made Christian reconciliation with Judaism central to his papacy and took revolutionary strides. He repeatedly condemned antisemitism, commemorated the Holocaust, presided over the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel and met Jewish theologians and leaders. A number of Jewish thinkers have called him the Tikkun Olam Pope. The term tikkun olam means 'healing the world', and for those of us touched by the angel of interfaith dialogue, John Paul II's passion for Christian-Jewish relations demonstrates one way in which the world can be healed. If, after hundreds of years of persecution and antisemitism, Judaism and Christianity can develop a chevruta, a partnership, perhaps the Kingdom of God is not so far away.

Of course, although Jews will remember the Polish-born pontiff as a friend, there remain tensions and unresolved issues. According to Jewish tradition it is important that in remembering the dead, we not only say what we admired, but also what challenged us. Respect for the dead, particularly for a friend, requires honesty.

John Paul II became pope just 13 years after the publication of Nostra Aetate, which opened the door of Jewish-Christian dialogue to Catholics. The declaration, issued in 1965 by the Second Vatican Council, not only condemned antisemitism but also emphasised the 'spiritual patrimony' shared by Jews and Christians, which should lead to 'mutual understanding and respect'. The document declared that any attempt to present the Jews as rejected or cursed by God was wrong. It affirmed with the words of Paul that the divine covenant with the Jewish people was not broken but was eternal.

As a result of his personal experience as well as intense theological reflection, John Paul II cared for Judaism. On a personal level, some of his school friends were Jewish and perished in the Holocaust. He was the first pope to have an intimate knowledge of European Jewry, including Yiddish. A well-known story is told that, after the war, Fr Karol Wojtyla advised a Polish Catholic woman who had hidden a Jewish child to seek survivors of his family rather than baptise him. During the same period Pius XII issued orders in France to keep Jewish children saved in convents and monasteries from joining Jewish relatives.

John Paul II was the first pope to visit a concentration camp (Auschwitz), and to pray there (1979) when he returned to Poland shortly after being elected pope. He described antisemitism as a sin on a number of occasions. In 1997 he asked the Pontifical Biblical Commission to study the roots of Christian anti-Judaism in biblical interpretation and in 2002 it published important new teachings on the subject in The Jewish People and their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible; in 1998 he welcomed the Vatican document stating the Church's repentance for the Holocaust, We Remember: a reflection on the Shoah, with a most unusual personal letter strengthening its text.

In 2000, the Pope presided over a liturgy of repentance, which called for repentance for Christian teaching against Jews and Judaism over the centuries and for the failures of the Church during the Holocaust. This, in turn, was the basis for the prayer he placed in the Western Wall in Jerusalem: 'God of our fathers, we are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer and, asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant.'

At the same time, his pontificate also saw some controversies around the subject of the Holocaust: the meeting with Kurt Waldheim, Secretary General of the United Nations, who had been uncovered as an SS Officer (1992), the Carmelite convent at Auschwitz controversy (Eighties/Nineties) and the canonisation of Edith Stein (1998). These differences will also face the new pope because the Holocaust still leaves a deep scar on the Christian and Jewish psyche.

The Holocaust also raises issues associated with 'historical memory' – for example, over the wartime role of Pope Pius XII, whom some want to beatify but whom others accuse of failing to speak out to save Jews during the Holocaust. Another example of disagreement is the continuing debate both inside and outside the Catholic hierarchy about whether the Church as an institution is responsible for anti-Judaism and antisemitism, or whether responsibility rests with individuals.

As well as tackling antisemitism and responding to the Holocaust, John Paul II reminded Christians that the formation of Christian identity was dependent upon a positive relationship with Judaism, encouraging the faithful to develop a new relationship with Judaism. He made it clear that replacement theology – the view that Christianity had simply replaced Judaism and that Jews had lost their covenantal relationship with God – no longer had a place in Catholic teaching.

His positive approach was demonstrated by the dramatic visit in 1986 to the Great Synagogue in Rome, where he prayed with the Jewish community. After warmly embracing Rome's chief rabbi, the Pope spoke of the 'irrevocable covenant' between God and the Jews. With Judaism, he said, 'We have a relationship that we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers and in a certain way it may be said that you are our elder brothers.'

Yet, the Church has found it difficult to replace replacement theology and one of the challenges of Jewish-Christian relations for the new pope will be to consider the implications of 'irrevocable covenant'. How can the Church hold onto the uniqueness of the Christ event and at the same time show respect and understanding for the 'elder brother'? This is one of the main challenges for the next papacy and if this tension can be resolved, other interfaith encounters will benefit enormously.

At the same time there is a need to implement the changes initiated at Vatican II and deepened by John Paul II at all levels – not only in the citadels of the Vatican but also in the pulpits and along the pews; not only in North America and western Europe but also in Latin America and Africa. John Paul II's teachings about Jews will endure, but will they be absorbed by the world's 800 million Catholics? This year (2005) marks the fortieth anniversary of the Nostra Aetate declaration and, as Fr Norbert Hofmann, secretary for the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, has said, although the whole Catholic Church stands behind the changes begun in 1965, 'We must do everything so that the course will trickle down to all levels'.

Another consequence of the Pope's desire for reconciliation was demonstrated by the formal establishment of full diplomatic relations between Israel and the Holy See, 45 years after the founding of the Jewish state. His historic visit to Israel in March 2000 made a huge impact on Jews, secular and religious alike. The visual impact of the image of an old man praying at the Western Wall, requesting forgiveness for the suffering of the Jewish people was deeply moving. His efforts to reach out to Israel have been consistent and balanced by his recognition of the rights of Palestinians to coexist in a state next to Israel.

Rabbi David Rosen, deeply involved in Jewish-Christian dialogue, explained the Pope's impact on Israelis as follows:

'Most Israeli Jews, and especially the more traditional and observant among them, have never met a modern Christian. When they travel abroad they meet non-Jews as non-Jews – rarely as Christians. Thus their prevailing image of Christianity has been drawn from the negative, tragic past. The papal visit to Israel opened their eyes to a changed reality. Not only was the Church no longer the enemy – its head is even a sincere friend. To see the Pope at the Western Wall in reverence for Jewish tradition, and asking divine forgiveness for the sins Christians had committed against Jews down the ages – all had a profound impact upon a very wide cross-section of Israeli society.'

Pope John Paul II made a significant impact on the way Jews view the Church and on the way Catholics in particular and Christians in general view Judaism. He has shown us the way forward and now we must follow his lead. A rabbinic saying goes as follows: aseh l'cha chaver, 'get yourself a friend'. One doesn't always agree with a friend but one has respect, understanding and love.

The death of John Paul marks the end of a deep friendship with a special man – Jews and Christians must now build on his foundation and extend the respect, understanding and love for each other so that our friendship may prove to be a worthy legacy.

Edward Kessler is executive director of the Centre for the study of Jewish-Christian Relations, Cambridge.
Reprinted from The Tablet 23 April 2005. http://www.thetablet.co.uk