Pope Francis, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Chair of The International Jewish Committee on Inter-religious Consultations [IJCIC] Rabbi Daniel Polish, Israel's ambassador to the Holy See Oren David and high-ranking Catholic clergy and Jewish leaders attended the 24th International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee Meeting which took place in Rome between Monday and Friday.
Citing appreciation for the decision of this year's meeting to focus on refugees, the Pope supported “the fight against the troubling recrudescence of antisemitism" as well as "concern for the persecution of Christians,” IJCIC reported.
Delegates met refugees currently living in Italy when they visited the Sant'egidio community in Rome. Harking to the words of Pope Francis urging Catholics to "welcome and protest," the community created in 2016 "The Humanitarian Corridors" in war-torn Syria. With the help of the Italian Protestant churches, it has aided roughly one thousand people.
The growth of antisemitism around the world, witnessed by the tragic shooting attacks in synagogues in Pittsburg and Poway in the US, was discussed as well as the attacks against Christians in Sri Lanka.