"Is the Pope Jewish?"

[Minchandre]

When John Paul II died, one of the prospects floated to replace him was Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, who had been Archbishop of Paris from 1981 until his retirement 2 months before the Pope's death.

Lustiger's theology was fairly moderate, and combined conservatism with a willingness to be flexible in the face of new questions (for example, he decried the use of birth control in general, but permitted the use of condoms when engaging in intercourse with someone who was HIV positive). He was quite political for a bishop, but that makes sense considering that he was in one of the largest Catholic cities in the world, in one of the largest Catholic countries in the world.

And, of course, Jean-Marie was born Aaron Lustiger, the son of Polish Jews in Paris, becoming Catholic in March of 1940.

Now, I'll admit that I don't know all that much about the Catholic Church, or the specifics of what Benedict XVI did, or the precise theology or politics of Cardinal Lustiger, but I can only imagine the implications that a Jewish-born Pope could have, both within the Church and in the broader world.

 

[Zheng He]

I hate to say it but it would pour gasoline on the fires of Jewish conspiracy theories. All manner of whack jobs would hold it up as proof that the Jews really do control everything, even the Catholic Church.

 

[Kaze]

Technically they already had a Jewish Pope.... His name was "Simon Peter."

 

[Lalli]

Like Kaze said St. Peter was technically first Jewish pope altugh his actual title hardly was pope if he ever was exist.

But I bit doubt that Cattholic Church would be ready for Jewish pope. Cardinals might be quiet relucant accept someone such person who even wasn't born as Catholic. And even if Lusinger would had been elected as pope his papacy not last long. In OTL he died in 2006.

 

[Polish Eagle]

I hate to say it but it would pour gasoline on the fires of Jewish conspiracy theories. All manner of whack jobs would hold it up as proof that the Jews really do control everything, even the Catholic Church.

Not least of whom would be some of the Sedevacantists, who would point to this as proof of the apostasy of Rome from the true faith.

That said, Lustiger appears to have had more-or-less the same approach to the traditionalists as Benedict, despite personal friction with Lefebvre, so I can see him promulgating something like the same decree on the Latin Mass Benedict did...if he lives that long, anyway.

You will see some more muttering from the right if/when St. Edith Stein is canonized. There was some bitching IOTL ("She didn't die for the faith, she died for her ethnicity"), but it'll still be mostly fringe stuff.

Given that he was specifically a Polish Jew, I imagine he’d have some popularity in that country, not to the degree that his predecessor did, but substantial. In the spirit of "Our Jews beating their Arabs".

 

[Michele]

... I can only imagine the implications that a Jewish-born Pope could have, both within the Church and in the broader world.

So if you can imagine them, you can also write them down and propose them as a starting point for the conversation.

 

[Arkenfolm]

Technically they already had a Jewish Pope.... His name was "Simon Peter."

Only logical then this pope takes the name Peter II.

 

[frustrated progressive]

Only logical then this pope takes the name Peter II.

Very funny.

 

[ASUKIRIK]

Only logical then this pope takes the name Peter II.

Well, it might actually ended up smothering any kind of "Jewish Conspiracy" nutters, if this Jewish Pope ends up condemning Israeli treatment of Palestinians.

Or maybe it would separate the Jewish ethnicity with the Judaism as religion.

 

[Falecius]

Was there ever any fuss about the fact that one of the most important archbishops in Europe had Jewish origins? The modern Catholic church may have many problems, but upholding limpieza de sangre is usually not one of them.
Most Catholics, at least where I live, tend not to even know about Sedevacantists, and while there was and there is such a thing as Catholic Antisemitism especially in some countries, it has no basis in current doctrine and certainly would not work generally against a convert.

 

[Mad Bad Rabbit]

Only logical then this pope takes the name Peter II.

He should be Pope Peter Gabriel; then he'll be so much larger than life.

 

[Polish Eagle]

Was there ever any fuss about the fact that one of the most important archbishops in Europe had Jewish origins? .

According to Wiki, only Lefebvre complaining about it not being a Frenchman. I presume he would have complained as much if some non-Jewish Polish son-of-guest workers followed the same path.