Well, those were a busy few weeks! Good ones, but nonetheless, extremely busy. After having a friend visit in early November, I went up to Ireland for a trip, then my Mother came to visit for ten days, then I went to the United Kingdom for a trip. In between all of that, I went to class, took a final, and saw Pope Francis for the first time. Oy vey!
The presence of Catholicism in Rome is obviously heightened for me personally, since I attend classes that are mainly filled with priests and nuns. My walk to class in the mornings involves seeing countless collared priests heading in the same direction as me, while any trip to the restroom at my university has me surrounded by nuns from all around the world in all different types and colors of habits. I attend a very diverse university in terms of where everyone comes from on the planet.
I have looked at so many churches here in Rome that I've lost count (and never even try to remember all of their names). Most are extremely grand, echoing edifices, with various ornate details inside. I enjoy sometimes stopping in one for a few minutes, to look around, sit, think. Often I am the only one, or one of only a few people, in there. But when I think about how many of these grand buildings stand empty for much of the week in Rome alone, it is an interesting thing to think about--all of these open, empty, gorgeous buildings. A bit poetic, but it also makes me wonder what they could be used for during the week.
I get some questions from different people asking what it is like as a Jewish woman studying at a Catholic university in Rome. I would say that so far, the most important thing is that I have a much greater respect for the Church's interfaith and inter-Christian work ("ecumenism") as a result of my classes.
Especially since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has placed a very strong emphasis on reconciliation with other faiths and other Christian denominations. For those who are unfamiliar with Vatican II, it was a meeting which ran intermittently from 1962-65 that led to a pretty revolutionary set of changes for the Catholic Church. It came about partially in response to World War II and the Shoah, with the thought being that these atrocities happened right in the heart of "Christian" Europe, and the Church should make positive changes going forward to combat religious prejudice. Not a bad ideal to work toward. The group established various councils that still exist today, including the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (which interestingly enough includes the office responsible for relations with the Jews, whereas all other faiths are grouped in the Interreligious Dialogue Council). So basically, the Church--about twenty years after the fact, but still--realized that the Holocaust was a major problem, and was compounded by the fact that it happened in the center of modern Christendom, so they set out to try to remedy these prejudices going forward.
Additionally, one major document that came out of Vatican II is called "Nostra Aetate," and it is definitely worth reading (it's short, I promise). It lays out fairly clearly that Catholics should never participate in antisemitism, and also says positive things about Muslims. It is truly a revolutionary document in the long history of the Catholic Church, which has at times had a speckled past with its members' treatment of other faiths (the Crusades, the Inquisition, etc.). So Nostra Aetate is a big step toward better relationships with other faiths. Sadly, though, as several people have pointed out to me, there has not been an appropriately large Jewish response to this document, due in part to the lack of a central body representing the diverse Jewish groups around the world as the Vatican represents Catholics. However, Jewish individuals have praised it on an individual and sometimes small group level, and I would like to join that group:
Dear Catholic Church,
Thank you for Nostra Aetate. Even if it is a simple document, its words mean a lot and as a Jewish person, I appreciate many of the sentiments expressed therein. I hope we can all move forward together in this positive direction.
Sincerely, Allyson Zacharoff
Another thing that I have come to realize is just how many people on the planet do not get married or have sex as a result of the Catholic faith. I always knew that priests and nuns pledged to remain celibate and dedicate their lives to Jesus, but when I am home in the U.S. it is easy to ignore this. How often do I see a priest or a nun back home? Maybe once a month, maybe, so it does not seem like that many people are affected by these rules. But now I am surrounded by them, and see dozens of these religious folks walking around Rome every day. Old people, young people, all ages. It is shocking to realize just how many there are out there. I wonder, though, if having church leaders who cannot fully engage in the human life of marriage and having children is wise, for both their congregations and for their personal fulfillment. I certainly do not have an answer to this, and obviously have no authority in this realm, but I am strongly in favor of these religious people being allowed to get married. I am aware of many of the arguments against this--and by chance the class readings I am doing tonight is on the very topic, but I still think it would be a good idea to allow them to marry. Also, I have fairly recently learned about Catholic people known as "consecrated virgins," who are not priests or nuns, but decide to remain celibate forever, presumably to do work for the Church. I still do not really understand this idea, so please comment if you can help me understand it better!
I also had the opportunity to visit the English College in Rome, a residence and seminary for priests primarily from England and Wales. It is a very nice building, complete with multiple chapels, a small garden, and a rooftop terrace. However, their main church was covered with paintings of various martyred saints. In Judaism, we certainly remember and honor those who have died for the sake of standing up for Judaism, but it's a different idea from that of the reverence of martyrs in Catholicism. I guess I had forgotten just how strong this reverence can be, until I saw the numerous blunt images of people being beheaded, or with their noses cut off, or being killed in any number of brutal ways. I grew nauseous after a while, to be honest, and do not think I could comfortably pray every day in a place with such images. That was an interfaith experience, for sure.
I guess, in response to those who ask what it's like to study at a Pontifical University as a Jewish woman, it's probably overall been a bit easier than I imagined. Yes, we start some of my classes with a prayer that I do not feel comfortable participating in, but some are very nice even if I choose not to participate because of their mention of Jesus. I've taken two classes with two different rabbis, so I've gotten some good Jewish time that way. And my professors are largely great with explaining things that I might not understand as well as the rest of the class...like the New Testament. (Incidentally, the same priest who kindly explained the New Testament to me also sent me a "Happy Hanukkah" e-mail out of the blue last week. How great is that? Really made me feel appreciated for who I am.) I also expected to disagree with my professors more often than I have.
One great thing: I got to see Pope Francis! I attended one of his weekly papal audiences on November 20th with my mother when she visited recently. I think I have made it clear in the past on here how much I like him, for his interfaith work and humble spirit, so it was exciting to see him in person. He kissed a ton of babies that morning, and just seemed really great. Well, now there's another reason to appreciate him: he has decided to establish a task force in response to the sex abuse scandals that came out a few years back with priests sexually abusing children in their parishes. This article says it is too little too late, but given the heavy criticism from many about the lack of an adequate response from the Church, I am glad that the pope is at least doing something about it.
Papa F, outside of St. Peter's Basilica on November 20th
There are a lot of other crazy interfaith or really not-interfaith things going on (possibly banning kosher slaughter in Poland, what?), but I will leave it here for now. A happy late Thanksgivukkah to everyone, I hope you marked this exciting dual holiday with some cranberry sufganiyot or something. And Happy Advent to anyone who celebrates that--may the Christmas music commence!
Now go out and love one another.
<3,
Allyson
