Blessed art thou O Lord for enabling us to reach this historic day.

Your Holiness, we can offer thanks to the Almighty for having kept us alive to celebrate this historic first, your visit to Park East Synagogue, the first visit to a Synagogue in the United States.

Three years ago, your gracious invitation to me to attend your Inauguration read, “I also trust in the help of the Almighty to continue the dialogue already begun and to strengthen co-operation with the sons and daughters of the Jewish people.” Your visit today to Park East Synagogue is a reaffirmation of your outreach, goodwill and commitment to enhancing Jewish-Catholic relations. In our lifetime we have experienced the ravages of war, the Holocaust, man’s inhumanity to man and tasted the joy of freedom. This momentous occasion takes place on American soil, where men and women, escaping the clutches of oppression and religious persecution, have built a nation of democracy and freedom. This is a nation which has allowed all religious communities to flourish.

“Am Yisrael Chai,” The Jewish people and Israel live in concert with men and women of all faiths acting together to preserve and extend life on this earth.

As children of Abraham standing before the ark on this momentous occasion, I am reminded of the cherubs, which during the biblical period rested before the Ark of the Covenant. “Porsei Knafayim L’maalah” their wings were pointed heavenward, “U’phneihem ish el achiv” but they faced one another (Exodus 25:20). With integrity and true to our respective traditions we look toward Heaven. To feel the presence of God we must also face one another. Our love for God can never come at the expense of our love for His children.

In Jewish History we were painfully cast aside and suffered persecution and degradation. A turning point in Catholic-Jewish relations was the Second Vatican Council, the guidelines of Nostra Aetate, which have brought us closer, facing one another with respect and mutual understanding. In the last 45 years much progress has been made. Your presence here gives us hope and courage for the road we still have to travel together, as we strive to fulfill the mission God entrusted to Abraham, "To be a blessing to the human family, "V'heye Bracha,” (Genesis 12:3).

At a time when religion is misused and abused by some, we must intensify together our commitment to repair our fractured world, “Tikkun Olam.” On the eve of Passover, let us remember the Exodus from Egypt and hear the cry of the oppressed, a constant refrain in Judaism. Passover is the Festival of Spring, a time of renewal, as well as the Festival of Freedom. Yet freedom is not achieved without hope, sacrifice and dedication. Our presence together is a message that inter-religious dialogue is viable and vital to the resolution of conflict. Your message of conciliation has already been heard around the globe. It is a message of hope for inter-religious dialogue as an instrument of cooperation in the pursuit of peace, freedom, human rights and security.

"May the voices of faith and conscience draw inspiration from our solidarity. May God spread his canopy of peace over us all!"