Chief rabbi of Rome, Jewish Community president pay their respects to Pope Francis’ body

The Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, and the president of the city’s Jewish Community Victor Fadlun, visit the Santa Marta chapel on Tuesday to pay their respects to the body of Pope Francis.

“After a long illness, endured with great strength, Pope Francis has left us,” Di Segni said in a statement after the pope’s passing yesterday, as reported by the community’s newspaper Shalom.

“His pontificate marked an important new chapter in the history of relations between Judaism and Catholicism, marked by a dialogue that was sometimes difficult but always respectful.”

“Together with my community, I express our sorrow for his passing and heartfelt condolences to the Catholic world,” he added.

Di Segni met with the pope several times over the years.

“When Francis was appointed, it soon became clear how active he was in his dialogue with the Jewish communities,” Di Segni recalled in a recent interview with The Times of Israel, while noticing that after the Hamas onslaught of October 7, the relations with the pope became more complicated.

Fadlun also expressed his condolences.

“I extend our deepest condolences to the entire Catholic world for the passing of Pope Francis,” Fadlun said in a statement reported by Shalom. “We were deeply struck by the extraordinary strength he showed until the end, especially in the way he faced illness and suffering. Our community remembers him with profound respect.”