ROME, March 29 (UPI) -- Riccardo di Segni, the chief rabbi in Rome, in a message to Pope Francis said Passover and Easter "represent the link and the distance" between their faiths.
Di Segni thanked the pope for his Passover greetings, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
"In returning the greetings I point out that the occasion presented by Easter is particularly significant because this major feast, which is often coincidental in the religious calendar, represents both the link and the distance between our two religions," Di Segni said.
Di Segni recalled the days when the Passover-Easter season was marked by hostility and displays of anti-Semitism.
"If both faiths can now experience their respective feast days in joy and harmony it is thanks to all those who have committed themselves to the work of recovery and we must be grateful to God," Di Segni said.
