“Positive progress in Catholic-Jewish relations has been made, but more work remains,” said B’nai B’rith President Moishe Smith. “The pope’s trip, coming at a particularly turbulent time in the Middle East, demonstrates a commitment to engagement with the Jewish people.”

The visit to Israel can be viewed as a continuation of Pope Benedict XVI’s outreach to Jews. Recent efforts include a meeting with Jewish leaders hosted by the pope at the Vatican in February. Until then, Catholic-Jewish relations had been strained after Benedict reintroduced a prayer for Jews’ conversion in the Good Friday liturgy and lifted the excommunication of Holocaust-denying Bishop Richard Williamson. In a March letter to bishops, the pope acknowledged that the overturning of the excommunications of Williamson and three other bishops of the fundamentalist Society of St. Pius X, meant to unite the church, had an adverse impact on Catholic-Jewish relations that he regretted.

It has been more than nine years since a pope visited Israel, and the visit stands to renew a shared allegiance to mutual respect and coexistence. “This trip can reaffirm the Vatican’s recognition of Israel’s centrality to the Jewish people,” said B’nai B’rith Executive Vice President Daniel S. Mariaschin. “B’nai B’rith will continue to work with the church to improve and enhance our interfaith partnership.”

The pope plans to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and the Western Wall, among other Jewish holy sites, during his trip.

B’nai B’rith will have a team on the ground in Israel participating in several of the events with the pope, including B’nai B’rith Director of United Nations and Intercommunal Affairs David Michaels; B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem Director Alan Schneider; and World Center Chairman Haim Katz, to provide analysis and observation.