May 12, 2025
Historic Election Brings Hope for Strengthened Interfaith Dialogue
The recent election of Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV—the first American pope in history—marks a potentially transformative moment for Catholic-Jewish relations, according to religious scholars and interfaith leaders.
Cardinal Prevost, 69, from Chicago, was elected on May 8 following the death of Pope Francis last month. While the new pontiff has limited documented history on Jewish issues, experts suggest his American background may provide a foundation for improved dialogue between the two religious communities.
Chicago Roots Could Prove Advantageous
“I think the election of an American pope bodes well for the future of Catholic-Jewish relations,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, director of interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee, in an interview following the papal announcement.
Marans emphasized the significance of Pope Leo XIV’s educational background in Chicago, “where the advances of the post-Second Vatican Council and ‘Nostra Aetate’ and all that followed it were already part of the Catholic educational culture.”
The new pope studied at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago under John T. Pawlikowski, a respected leader in Catholic-Jewish relations who has described his former student as “a very open-minded person.”
A Fresh Perspective After Recent Tensions
The election comes after a period of strained relations during Pope Francis’s final months, when his criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza created tension with many Jewish leaders who felt his comments overlooked rising global antisemitism and Israel’s security concerns.
“Pope Leo XIV has spent most of his priesthood in Peru, where there is a small Jewish community of approximately 2,000 people,” noted Edward Kessler, founder of the Woolf Institute in Cambridge, England. While in Peru, Prevost appears to have had minimal engagement with Jewish communities, particularly during his time as bishop in Chiclayo.
Hopes for Inclusive Dialogue
In his first public address at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV emphasized peace and dialogue: “We must try together to be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges and dialogue, always open, like this square, to receive with open arms everyone who needs our charity, our presence.”
Rabbi Josh Stanton, associate vice president of interfaith and intergroup initiatives at the Jewish Federations of North America, noted that while the new pope is known for “speaking quietly and acting meaningfully,” the key question remains “who does he want to include in dialogue?”
Stanton expressed hope that Pope Leo XIV will “engage in quiet diplomacy in areas where there is conflict, including the Middle East.”
Connection to Jewish Community Experience
Ethan Schwartz, a Bible scholar specializing in Catholic-Jewish relations at Villanova University, where Prevost graduated in 1977, highlighted what sets the new pope apart from his predecessor:
“In contrast with the Argentine-born Francis, the first post-World War II pope who didn’t really have a direct connection to the Holocaust,” Schwartz said, “now for the first time, we have a pope who is a product of a thriving Jewish community.”
This background could prove invaluable as Pope Leo XIV navigates complex interfaith relationships moving forward.
Diplomatic Relations Already Taking Shape
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly issued congratulations to the newly elected pope—a notable development after Netanyahu had delayed acknowledging Pope Francis’s death by several days, reflecting previous tensions.
As the Catholic Church enters this new chapter under American leadership, religious scholars remain cautiously optimistic that Pope Leo XIV’s background may foster a natural understanding that strengthens the bonds between Catholic and Jewish communities worldwide.
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