Antisemitism, CEI: “Dramatic increase in recent decades”

Rome, Dec. 5 (LaPresse) – “Antisemitism has grown dramatically in recent decades, reviving ancient falsehoods about Jews and today also fueled by a mistaken identification of Jewish reality with unacceptable recent practices of the State of Israel (thus ignoring the many Jewish voices — in Israel and elsewhere — that distance themselves from these actions, seeking peace). The political-cultural dimension intertwines with the religious one, relying on stereotypes for which Christian churches also bear historical responsibility,” reads Educare alla pace disarmata e disarmante, a note from the CEI (Italian Episcopal Conference), approved by the general assembly held in Assisi. The text also notes the rise of Islamophobia, which “originates mainly from the ‘clash of civilizations’ paradigm of the 1990s, which emphasized the otherness of Western civilization in relation to Islamic civilization.” The document also states that “in other geographical and cultural contexts, forms of Christianophobia sometimes occur; this has resulted in serious violence, which in several cases has led some believers to martyrdom.”