Saint Pius X and Theodore Herzl -- Gesture of Apology by Pope Francis? - The Eponymous Flower
Saint Pius X and Theodore Herzl -- Gesture of Apology by Pope Francis?
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In 1904 the Zionist leader Theodor Herzl visited the Vatican to ask the Pope Pius X, to assist in the establishment of the modern Jewish state of Israel, the homeland of the Jewish nation. But Pius refused."
The Visit to Herzl's Grave
Theodor Herzl's Report on the Meeting with Pope Pius X in 1904
Yesterday I was with the Pope. The route was already familiar since I had traversed it with Lippay several times. Past the Swiss lackeys, who looked like clerics, and clerics who looked like lackeys, the Papal officers and chamberlains.
I arrived 10 minutes ahead of time and didn't even have to wait. I was conducted through numerous small reception rooms to the Pope. He received me standing and held out his hand, which I did not kiss. Lippay had told me I had to do it, but I didn't. I believe that I incurred his displeasure by this, for everyone who visits him kneels down and at least kisses his hand.
This hand kiss had caused me a lot of worry. I was quite glad when it was finally out of the way. He seated himself in an armchair, a throne for minor occasions. Then he invited me to sit down right next to him and smiled in friendly anticipation.
I began: "Ringrazio Vostra Santità per il favore di m'aver accordato quest'udienza" [I thank Your Holiness for the favor of according me this audience]." "È un piacere [It is a pleasure]," he said with kindly deprecation. I apologized for my miserable Italian, but he said: "No, parla molto bene, signor Commendatore [No, Commander, you speak very well]." For I had put on for the first time—on Lippay's advice—my Mejidiye ribbon.
Consequently the Pope always addressed me as Commendatore. He is a good, coarse-grained village priest, to whom Christianity has remained a living thing even in the Vatican. I briefly placed my request before him. He, however, possibly annoyed by my refusal to kiss his hand, answered sternly and resolutely: "Noi non possiamo favorire questo movimento. Non potremo impedire gli Ebrei di andare a Gerusalemme—ma favorire non possiamo mai. La terra di Gerusalemme se non era sempre santa, è santificata per la vita di Jesu Christo (he did not pronounce it Gesu, but Yesu, in the Venetian fashion). Io come capo della chiesa non posso dirle altra cosa. Gli Ebrei non hanno riconosciuto nostro Signore, perciò non possiamo riconoscere il popolo ebreo [We cannot give approval to this movement. We cannot prevent the Jews from going to Jerusalem—but we could never sanction it. The soil of Jerusalem, if it was not always sacred, has been sanctified by the life of Jesus Christ. As the head of the Church I cannot tell you anything different. The Jews have not recognized our Lord, therefore we cannot recognize the Jewish people]."
Hence the conflict between Rome, represented by him, and Jerusalem, represented by me, was once again opened up. At the outset, to be sure, I tried to be conciliatory. I recited my little piece about extraterritorialization, res sacrae extra commercium [holy places removed from business]. It didn't make much of an impression.
Gerusalemme, he said, must not get into the hands of the Jews. "And its present status, Holy Father?"
"I know, it is not pleasant to see the Turks in possession of our Holy Places. We simply have to put up with that. But to support the Jews in the acquisition of the Holy Places, that we cannot do." I said that our point of departure had been solely the distress of the Jews and that we desired to avoid the religious issues. "Yes, but we, and I as the head of the Church, cannot do this. There are two possibilities. Either the Jews will cling to their faith and continue to await the Messiah who, for us, has already appeared. In that case they will be denying the divinity of Jesus and we cannot help them. Or else they will go there without any religion, and then we can be even less favorable to them.
"The Jewish religion was the foundation of our own; but it was superseded by the teachings of Christ, and we cannot concede it any further validity. The Jews, who ought to have been the first to acknowledge Jesus Christ, have not done so to this day." It was on the tip of my tongue to say, "That's what happens in every family. No one believes in his own relatives." But I said instead: "Terror and persecution may not have been the right means for enlightening the Jews."
But he rejoined, and this time he was magnificent in his simplicity:
"Our Lord came without power. Era povero [He was poor]. He came in pace [in peace]. He persecuted no one. He was persecuted. He was abbandonato [forsaken] even by his apostles. Only later did he grow in stature. It took three centuries for the Church to evolve. The Jews therefore had time to acknowledge his divinity without any pressure. But they haven't done so to this day."
"But, Holy Father, the Jews are in terrible straits. I don't know if Your Holiness is acquainted with the full extent of this sad situation. We need a land for these persecuted people."
"Does it have to be Gerusalemme?"
"We are not asking for Jerusalem, but for Palestine—only the secular land."
"We cannot be in favor of it."
Saint Pius X and Theodore Herzl -- Gesture of Apology by Pope Francis?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dawn Marie on
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I gotta tell ya, Francis is running the most anti-Catholic marathon I've ever seen, bar none, in my life. The stories of what he is doing on his trip to Israel are so bad and so many I can't keep up!
This was one of them, thanks for posting it Michael.
If I have time later I may make just one thread with all the different news items, actually I should call it what it is, Francis' blasphemes and atrocities against the Faith.
This man makes all the VatII Popes look like they were sitting still in the hand they had in destroying the Church.
I'm aghast, and here I thought nothing else could shock me.
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John Vennari also reblogged this article. HERE
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