By JTA
ROME ? Two days after Pope Benedict XVI's visit to a Rome synagogue, the Vatican issued a document citing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as one of the main challenges facing
Christians in the Middle East.
The 30-page document released last week also cited Muslim extremism as a major challenge.
?Several conflicts in the Middle East have arisen as a result of the main point of global attention, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,? the document said.
The document contains the guidelines for an assembly of Catholic bishops from the Middle East to be held at the Vatican in October.
?Political conflicts in the region have a direct influence on the lives of Christians, both as citizens and as Christians,? the document said, as part of a lengthy discussion of issues facing
Arab-Christian communities and their relationships with local governments, as well as with Jews and Muslims.
?The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories makes daily life difficult with regard to freedom of movement, the economy and religious life,? the document said, adding that ?certain
Christian fundamentalist theologies use sacred scripture to justify Israel's occupation of Palestine, making the position of Christian Arabs even more sensitive.?
Christians living in Muslim countries face specific challenges, according to the document.
?Muslims frequently mix religion and politics, putting Christians in a precarious situation of being considered as non-citizens,? it said. ?Religious freedom and freedom of conscience are foreign
to a Muslim mentality.?
With the Internet, Islamic fundamentalist groups have become widespread. And, ?with the rise of Islamism,? the document added, ?incidents against Christians are increasing almost everywhere.?
During the visit to the synagogue last week, the Pope said Church authorities played an active role in saving Jews during the Holocaust, though ?often hidden and discreet.?
Italian Jewish leaders had welcomed the Pope to Rome's main synagogue for a visit they said would help strengthen relations between Jews and Catholics.
?Despite a dramatic history, the unresolved problems and the misunderstandings, it is our shared visions and common goals that should be given pride of place,? Rome's Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di
Segni told a packed sanctuary during the visit. ?The image of respect and friendship that emanates from this encounter must be an example for all those who are watching.?
In the weeks before the visit, Jewish-Catholic relations were strained by the Pope's decision to move World War II-era Pope Pius XII closer to sainthood. Critics accuse Pius of having turned a
blind eye to Jewish suffering in the Shoah.
The president of the Italian Rabbinical Assembly boycotted the papal synagogue visit in protest.
In his speech, Rome Jewish Community president Riccardo Pacifici renewed calls for the Vatican to open its secret wartime archives to clarify the Pius issue. The Pope did not mention Pius by
name, but recalling the horrors of the Holocaust, he praised Catholic individuals for saving Jewish lives. Pope Benedict, 82, was applauded repeatedly during his speech.
Memory of the Holocaust, he said, ?compels us to strengthen the bonds that unite us so that our mutual understanding, respect and acceptance may always increase.?
Benedict repeated the prayers for forgiveness for Catholic anti-Semitism made by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.
The visit was only the second time a pope had visited the synagogue. John Paul II's visit in 1986 was a milestone in Catholic-Jewish dialogue.
