VATICAN CITY, Dec. 23 -- For the first time, a Hanukkah candle has been lighted in the Vatican to mark the beginning of the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights. Today's ceremony represented a diplomatic confirmation of the Vatican's recognition of Israel's 50th anniversary as a Jewish state. The menorah was placed next to an olive tree that was originally planted in Jerusalem in 1965 after the Second Vatican Council declared that Jews were not responsible for the death of Jesus Christ.
After the Holy See and Israel formed diplomatic ties in December 1993, the tree was transplanted to the splendid Vatican Gardens situated behind St. Peter's Basilica. The vast gardens were originally laid out by Pope Julius II in the early 1500s and have since been used by the church's papacy as grounds for wandering and meditation. The Catholic Church's relations with Jews has come a long way from when Rome's Jews were forced to open the eight-day celebration by handing over a sum of money that paid for the prizes awarded to the winners of the festival's horse races. The chief rabbi was then 'thanked' by being dealt a pretended kick to the small of his back. Representing Pope John Paul II at today's candle-lighting ceremony was Cardinal Edward Idris Cassidy, the president of the Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism. Aharon Lopez, Israel's ambassador to the Holy See, and Rabbi Elio Toaff, head of the Jewish community in Rome, were also present. ---
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