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Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/567125.html
New Pope Seen Continuing Relationship with Israel, Jews
(Ha'aretz) Peter Hirschberg - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 78, the new pope to be known as Benedict XVI, will continue positive relations with Israel and Jews, say Jewish figures who know Ratzinger personally. "He has a profound commitment to good relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people, and an unquestionable commitment to Israel's well being," says Rabbi David Rosen, a key figure in the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the Vatican in 1993. "From a narrow Jewish and Israeli perspective, it is good news for the Jews." Shortly after the establishment of diplomatic ties, Ratzinger visited Israel to deliver the keynote address at a Jewish-Christian conference, recalls Rosen, who chaired the event. Ratzinger, who made several quiet visits to Israel before the establishment of diplomatic ties, wrote the introduction to an important Vatican document on Christian-Jewish relations that deals with the central place of the Jewish people and Jewish religious texts in Christian teaching.