Vatican City (AsiaNews) – "Jerusalem has a sacred character for all the children of Abraham," and leaders must "respect this character and prevent actions which offend the sensibilities of religious communities that rely in Jerusalem and hold her dear." Religious leaders are asked to "protest publicly" against "actions of disrespect towards religious persons, symbols, and holy sites".

These are the main points in a joint statement issued today by the bilateral committee for religious dialogue between the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Vatican's Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with Jewry that met in Grottaferrata from October 17 to the 19.

The statement acknowledges that at present there "is no full understanding" in the respective communities "of the changes that have taken place in Catholic-Jewish relations".

Jews and Christians "are not enemies, but unequivocal partners in articulating the essential moral values for the survival and welfare of human society."

Among the examples of deplorable actions against religious persons, symbols, and holy sites, the statement specifically mentions "the desecration of cemeteries and the recent assault on the Armenian Apostolic Patriarch of Jerusalem".