Progressive Judaism Co-Lead Rabbi Josh Levy and Bishop Sarah Bullock presented His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, with the Council of Christians and Jews – CCJ Bridge Award at a ceremony in Rome (pictured above).
Cardinal Pizzaballa is The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, the most senior Roman Catholic post in the Holy Land. A Franciscan, he has served as priest in the region for more than 35 years, working amongst Palestinian Catholics as well Hebrew-speaking Catholics and leading interfaith dialogue.
He was made Cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023. He made international headlines in October 2023 after he offered himself in exchange for the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, and he has been an outspoken advocate for Palestinian Christians in the West Bank and at the Holy Family Church in Gaza City.
The day of the award ceremony, the 28 October, also marks the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the significant Vatican II document which marked a positive turning in the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching about Judaism and an openness to interfaith dialogue.
On receiving the award, His Beatitude Cardinal Pizzaballa said: “I am honoured to receive this award from CCJ, an organization which models the kind of dialogue and hard work we need in the world today. The pain and destruction in the Middle East are very real, but there is hope for a better future. Now is the time to begin building bridges, and I hope Christians can play a key role in this.”
Rabbi Josh Levy, who is a President of the CCJ, was part of a delegation of senior UK Jewish and Christian leaders that also included Path to Progressive Judaism Advisory Board Chair Dr Ed Kessler, Rev Canon Mark Madden of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and Henry Grunwald.
He said: “His Beatitude’s recognition of the pain felt by Jews around the world after the October 7th attacks – as well as the pain felt by so many over innocent suffering in Gaza – has been a model for us all.”