Different religious delegations arrive for Pope Leo XIV's formal inauguration of his pontificate with a Mass in St. Peter's Square attended by heads of state, royalty and ordinary faithful, at the Vatican, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Stefano Costantino)

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Jewish leaders met with Pope Leo XIV on Monday to discuss interreligious dialogue, a day after getting up-front seats at his inauguration Mass. An American rabbi and other representatives saw hopeful signs for an upswing of Catholic-Jewish relations under the first U.S.-born pontiff, after a strained relationship with his predecessor.

With growing antisemitic rhetoric and attacks reported in various countries, as well as mounting international criticism of Israel's conduct in its war with Hamas in Gaza, the moral voice of the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics can make a real difference, they said.

“It can save Jewish lives,” Rabbi Noam Marans, the American Jewish Committee’s director of interreligious affairs, told The Associated Press.

Wearing his kippah, he attended Sunday’s Mass at St. Peter’s Square days after he received a letter from the newly elected Leo highlighting the importance of cooperation. Marans was on hand when Leo met Monday with faith leaders who attended his inaugural Mass and vowed to continue the Vatican's dialogue and emphasis on fraternity with people of other faiths.

“A relationship that needed oxygen has gotten a supply," Marans said after presenting the Chicago-born pontiff with a White Sox baseball hat on Monday. “What a relief.”

He added that Leo's “let's get down to business” style would allow the dialogue to move on from possible disagreements over Israel, and focus instead on cementing good relations at a time when conservative voices on both sides can derail them.

“That is a gift,” Marans said. “We're starting off on the right foot.”

Jewish leaders were upset over Francis' comments

It was 60 years ago that the Second Vatican Council issued the proclamation “Nostra Aetate” (Latin for “in our time”). It marked a turning point in the 2,000-year-old history of two major religions by focusing on the shared heritage between Judaism and Christianity, rejecting the centuries-old belief of Jewish guilt in the killing of Christ and denouncing antisemitism as a sin.

Since then, the Vatican has sought to bolster relations with other faiths, including Judaism. In 2016, Pope Francis became the third pope to visit Rome’s main synagogue, after a Vatican declaration that the church didn’t support official efforts to convert Jews.

But Francis also dismayed numerous Jewish leaders with some of his remarks about Israeli’s military operations in Gaza that followed the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas militants. More than 1,200 people were killed then, mostly civilians, and 250 abducted, with dozens still held in Gaza. More than 53,000 Palestinians there have been killed in the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

There was widespread anger over a public letter from Francis on the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack that expressed empathy with the people of Gaza, but never mentioned Israel or the Jewish people.

A month later, news broke that Francis in an interview had called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide.

“It was painful to hear from the pope the word ‘genocide’ or even suspicion of genocide,” said Noemi Di Segni, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, which represents Italy's 25,000 Jews. “It really devastates us, and a crisis was created.”

Di Segni said she also received a letter from Leo, days into his papacy. It made her hopeful, she said, that he would make the Vatican’s official position of dialogue with, and respect for, Jews trickle down to the reality of small Italian parishes, where the faithful might never have interacted with a Jewish person.

The church and the Jewish trauma

Centuries of discrimination when Jews were made to live in ghettos, including in Rome — often at the instigation of the church — have left vivid memories in Jewish communities across Europe, as has the trauma of the Holocaust.

Interfaith relations have been smoother in the United States, several faith leaders said, both at the official and daily levels. In December, the American Jewish Committee and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops jointly published a booklet to combat antisemitism.

“The success of the post-Council Jewish-Catholic relations is demonstrated better in the United States than anywhere else," Marans said.

In the U.S. and Israel, Jewish faith leaders said they were encouraged by Leo’s commitment to interreligious dialogue. Meeting representatives of different faiths on Monday, the pope thanked them for their presence at the Mass and highlighted “the special relationship with Judaism” that all Christians have because of their “shared spiritual heritage.”

“The theological dialogue between Christians and Jews remains ever important and close to my heart. Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue the momentum of this precious dialogue of ours,” the pope said.

Leo opens a new page in relations with other religions

Jewish faith leaders praised Leo’s mention of the hostages in his first Sunday blessing on May 11, when he also called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In the blessing following his inaugural Mass on Sunday, Leo called out “those who suffer because of wars” in Gaza, Myanmar and Ukraine — though this time he made no mention of the Jewish hostages.

“The suffering of innocent non-combatants in any conflict is a tragedy,” Marans said after Sunday's Mass, echoing sentiments from other Jewish leaders who expect Leo to strike a different tone than Francis even while maintaining political criticism.

“Our hope is to return to the direct, frank dialogue between friends that can take place behind closed doors,” said Rabbi Joshua Stanton, who oversees interfaith initiatives for Jewish Federations of North America. He added that Pope Leo “is known for working well with people quietly.”

The trickiest question is how the dialogue with Jewish faith leaders will translate into a dialogue between the Holy See and Israel, especially over the ongoing war. The two states only established diplomatic relations in 1993.

For many Jews around the world — regardless of religious observance, politics and opinions about the Israeli government — the state of Israel, and its security, are crucial to their identity.

Francis sometimes failed to see that, said Jerusalem-based Rabbi David Rosen, who was invited to attend Leo’s inauguration Mass and has long worked with the Vatican on interreligious affairs.

“Francis was a great friend, but not always considerate,” he added, while Leo has shown “greater sensitivity” in his statements about the war.

Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See, Yaron Sideman, said relations with Francis had become “very complicated,” but he met Leo on Friday alongside the rest of the diplomatic corps and praised the pope’s commitment to engage.

“We both stand for something much bigger than geopolitical entities,” Sideman added of the Israeli and Vatican states. “You can’t separate dialogue with Jewish people and the state where half of Jewish people live. This is where it needs to be fundamentally restructured.”

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Associated Press writers David Crary in New York and Nicole Winfield in Vatican City contributed to this report.

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