Conservative rabbis concerned over Catholic prayer

By David Alexander

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Conservative rabbis expressed concern on Monday over a newly released Catholic prayer calling for the conversion of Jews and said they hoped a resolution expressing dismay over the wording would send a message to Pope Benedict.

Many Jewish organizations have voiced disappointment over the prayer and the Rabbinical Assembly representing some 1,600 Conservative rabbis worldwide is considering a resolution at its meeting this week in Washington saying it is "dismayed and deeply disturbed."

Rabbi Alvin Berkun, president of the group, said the release of the revised Latin-language Good Friday prayer by the Vatican last week was only a small bump in improving Jewish-Catholic relations, but the Jewish community needed to express concern.

"I think as Jews we have learned that we can't just sit idly by, that when there's even a minor setback we need to focus on it," said Berkun, a long-time participant in inter-faith dialogue.

Pope Benedict, who will visit the United States in April, touched off a controversy last year when he agreed to make the old-style Latin Mass more available for traditionalists along with a missal, or prayer book, that had been phased out in reforms of the 1960s.

The pope had agreed not to use the traditional Latin prayer because of its references to Jews' "blindness" over Christ and other language considered offensive. The new prayer released last week, however, included a reference asking God to help Jews "acknowledge Jesus Christ as the savior."

The Rabbinical Assembly's draft resolution calls on the Vatican to clarify the status of the new text and whether similar language will be used in vernacular services heard in most Catholic churches worldwide.

STRAIN ON INTERFAITH DIALOGUE