Pope Exonerates the Jews for the Death of Jesus

June 21, 2011

Because Jesus made that public statement, you would think that would be enough for those who profess to be His followers. Sadly, that is not the case, but maybe we are on the way to a breakthrough. Pope Benedict XVI has become the first Pontiff to personally and biblically exonerate the Jews for the death of Jesus. In a new book, Jesus of Nazareth—Part II, Benedict announces there is no scriptural basis for any other conclusion.

Of course, Church leaders and theological fathers have announced and enforced otherwise for centuries. It was the callous, arrogant, and unbiblical charge against the Jews that unleashed the horrendous bloodshed and persecution of anti-Semitism. History has been forever tarnished by hatred spewed from the mouths of those who professed to be followers of the King of Peace, the God of Love.

Los Angeles Rabbi Marvin Heir of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre (LA) described the publication as “critically important.” He said, “Jews suffered historically for over 2,000 years. The call of Hitler and all the anti-Semites were that the Jews were an accursed people because they are responsible for the death of Jesus.”

Heir described the significance of the exoneration coming from a German Pope at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise. “To have Pope Benedict say that the Jews bear no guilt whatsoever for the death of Jesus is one of the most critically important statements ever made by a pope,” Heir told CBS Los Angeles.

His new book deals with the final hours of Jesus. He said the death of the Lord was not about punishment but salvation. That blood, he said, “does not cry out for vengeance and punishment; it brings reconciliation. It is not poured out against anyone; it’s poured out for many, for all.”

Source: Excerpts of an article by Ron Ross, www.ronross.org