It is of deep spiritual significance that His Holiness Pope Francis has passed away, not only at the holiest time in the Christian calendar but also during the Jubilee year, a holy year in the Catholic Church, celebrated every 25 years.
Pope Francis definitely broke the mould of previous Popes. He was a reformer and champion of those left behind by society, the poor and underprivileged; and he sought to model these values by eschewing the trappings of grandeur and tradition, most notably when he chose to live in a small suite at the Casa Santa Marta, instead of the larger, more opulent papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace.
His reforms included, among others, establishing a process for dialogue within the Catholic Church: A synodal process that involved all members of the Church – bishops, priests and laity – listening and learning from one another. This emphasis on dialogue also extended to dialogue with World Jewry, and though surprising to some, it seemed obvious to the UK Catholic Bishops Conference that following Pope Francis’ guidance, a Jewish observer should be invited to this first synodal process. I was honoured to be invited to participate in this ground-breaking Catholic dialogue where, despite being the only Jewish delegate, I felt listened to and valued by the other members of the UK delegation.
Pope Francis
As I look at my social media feed with a multitude of Jewish leaders posting pictures of their meetings with Pope Francis, including my own picture when I met him in the 50th year of Nosta Aetate, it is abundantly clear how much Pope Francis valued dialogue and his relationship with the Jewish world.
Pope Francis also cared deeply about the legacy of the Holocaust and spoke out against Holocaust denial. He also demonstrated the responsibility of the Catholic community towards Jewish survivors. When introduced to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp survivor Lidia Maksymowicz, he leaned over and kissed the number that the Nazis had tattooed on her arm.
More recently, in February 2025, Pope Francis demonstrated his personal commitment to peace between Palestinians and Israelis, granting a public audience to peace builders Aziz Abu Sarah and Moaz Inon, both of whom having lost close family members due to the conflict. Pope Francis embraced both men together as a sign of his commitment to reconciliation. He emphasized the need for a shared future, acknowledging the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians and calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. He stated that “nothing can be said” in the face of the suffering of the two nations and encouraged world leaders to listen to the voices of peacebuilders. In his final homily yesterday, on Easter Sunday, he again reiterated his vision for peace and reconciliation.
This year we mark 60 years of Nostra Aetate. Nostra Aetate, meaning “In Our Time,” was a significant declaration by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) that fundamentally changed the Catholic Church’s relationship with Judaism and other non-Christian religions. It condemned antisemitism, acknowledged the Jewish roots of Christianity, and affirmed the eternal covenant between God and the Jewish people. No one could ever have imagined that the Catholic Church, embodied in the Pope, would embrace the Jewish people in this manner, and yet this remarkable change happened in our time.
It strikes me that this ground-breaking change in Christian Jewish relations, is a timely and powerful paradigm and reminder that reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis and an end to conflict is possible in our time as well.
- Elizabeth Harris Sawczenko is the former director of the Council of Christians and Jews and an interfaith advisor
