The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain congratulates the Centro de Estudios Judeo Cristiano on its 50th Anniversary

The Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE) congratulates the Centro de Estudios Judeo Cristiano, the only institution of the Catholic Church dedicated to relations with Judaism and the Jewish people, on its 50th anniversary.

On the afternoon of Thursday 27 October, Catholic and Jewish authorities and representatives gathered to celebrate the anniversary in the Chapter House of the Cathedral of Santa María la Real de la Almudena.

On behalf of the Archdiocese of Madrid, Monsignor D. Carlos Osoro called for fraternity, mutual dialogue that leads to mutual understanding and to behave, Jews and Christians, as true brothers.

The president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain, Mr. Isaac Benzaquén, highlighted the great work of union carried out by the CEJC, which has manifested itself in a real and frequent rapprochement.

Brother Elio Pasetto, on behalf of the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, highlighted the spirit of the Second Vatican Council which has always presided over the management of the CEJC and which has been the guiding spirit of the Sisters of Sion.

The Director General of the CEJC, Mrs. Mayte Rodríguez thanked all the people, Christians and Jews, who have helped to build bridges between the two communities over the last 50 years and pledged to continue working as the link between the Church and the Jewish world.

The ceremony opened with the reading of a psalm by the president of the Rabbinical Conference of Spain, Rab Moshe Bendahan and Cardinal Carlos Osoro.

The ceremony was also attended by the Vatican Nuncio to Spain, Bernardito Auza, the Archbishop of Toledo, Francisco del Cerro, the new delegate for interreligious dialogue of the Archbishopric of Madrid, Aitor de la Morena, the vicar general of the Archbishopric, Avelino Revilla, the rector of the San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University, Javier Mª Prades, the rector of the University of Comillas, Enrique Sanz Giménez-Rico, the ambassador of Israel, Rodica Radian-Gordon, the president of the Jewish Community of Madrid, Estrella Bengio, and the president of the Masorti Bet El Community of Madrid, Gastón Roffe.

The Centro de Estudios Judeo Cristianos was founded in 1972 by the Archbishopric of Madrid in collaboration with the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion. Its main purpose in these 50 years has been to work for dialogue and relations between Jews and Catholics, promoting the fight against prejudice and encouraging mutual understanding.