Pope Benedict on the Question of Judaism

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New York moment Benedict XVI, right, with Park East rabbi Arthur Schneier in April 2008, was the first Pontiff to visit a synagogue in the U.S.

Ettore Ferrari / EPA

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There is time. Yet this scholar-Pope knows that history's long rhythms also dictate that a great project is not completed or fulfilled in a year, decade or even quarter-century. Some of Benedict's would-be defenders suggest that once he has made his visit to the Jewish homeland, the Pope is right to "move on." He knows better: like any other vital priority his church takes into its stewardship, this one too must be heeded and tended, not just now but for the (very) long haul.