This visit included a series of meetings with Vatican officials and Italian-Jewish community leaders, as well as the meeting with the pope. Issues discussed included anti-Semitism, study of the Holocaust period, liturgy referencing Jews, the possibility of a papal visit to Israel, and persecution of Christians in various regions.

The IJCIC group was lead by organization President Rabbi David Rosen and Treasurer Seymour Reich, who is also an honorary president of BBI. The BBI group included Smith, BBI Mexican leader Daniel Tartakovski Olechnowicz, and BBI Director of Interreligious Affairs David J. Michaels.

BBI leaders previously met with Pope Benedict XVI in December 2006, at the Vatican and in April 2008, when the pope visited the United States. Michaels was selected as young leader to represent the Jewish community and presented a menorah in memory of the Holocaust to the pope. It was given on behalf of the American Jewish community. Meetings such as these are part of the important work of BBI’s Department of Interreligious Affairs.