Jews and Christians need a “genuine and lasting reconciliation,” Pope Benedict XVI said on the second day of his visit to Israel yesterday. The day included a visit to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, a reception by chief rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger, and a mass at the Gethsemane Church in Jerusalem.

Following his meeting with the chief rabbis, Benedict spoke of his desire to “deepen mutual understanding and respect” between the Vatican, the Israeli Chief Rabbinate and the Jewish people worldwide, through “fraternal dialogues.” He also stressed that the Church remains “irrevocably committed” to the Second Vatican Council’s call in 1965 for a “genuine and lasting” Christian-Jewish reconciliation.