Pope Benedict XVI renews ties with Roman Jewish community

Pope Benedict XVI expressed his hope that Jews and Catholics would work together, in a renewed effort, to bring peace and justice to a troubled world.

Benedict sent a communication to Rome's chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Signi, to mark the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. In his telegram, the pontiff sent his greetings to Rome's Jewish community, on behalf of all Catholics everywhere.

The New York Theological Seminary is an institution dedicated to social justice, multiculturalism, diversity and religious tolerance. The mission of the seminary is to prepare men and women, from every background, for careers in ministry.

In UK, Methodist Church calls for boycott

In Great Britain today, it is reported that the Methodist Church adopted a measure to boycott "all products from Israeli settlements" in Palestinian territories. It is the first major religion in England to approve such a course of action as a policy. Methodist leaders made the decision at the denomination's recent conference in Portsmouth. This will inevitably place the Methodist denomination in England at odds with the country's Jewish population.