Pope Francis on Monday met with a delegation of Jewish leaders from Poland, discussing serious matters such as the desecration of Jewish cemeteries and even child sexual abuse, but also lighthearted moments, including the pope … sort of … joining in a song and dance performed by the group.
ROME – Since the Second Vatican Council in the mid-1960s, popes meeting Jewish leaders has become commonplace. Not every day, however, do you see a pope busting a move with those Jewish leaders, but that was the scene Monday in the Vatican.
Pope Francis received a delegation led by Rabbi Chaim Boruch (Edgar) Gluck of Poland in a 45-minute private audience, who was joined by his son, Zvi, the founder and Director of Amudim – an organization dedicated to helping abuse victims and those suffering with addiction within the Jewish community, as well as another Rabbi and other people.
Gluck had met Francis when he travelled to Krakow in Poland for World Youth Day in July 2016, when they discussed the destruction of Jewish cemeteries around the world, and the pontiff suggested the two continue their conversation in the Vatican.
There was serious business in the discussion, as reflected in a tweet dispatched by Zvi Gluck after the encounter. Apparently the topic of child sexual abuse came up, and he quoted the pontiff as saying, “Zero tolerance … We need to keep kids safe,” which he said the pope said to him, his father, and members of the delegation.