Andrea Monda, a film and literary critic who wrote the story in the 1/20/09 issue of L'Osservatore Romano on Benedict XVI's audience with Rabbi Neusner, wrote a much longer article about the rabbi for Il Foglio. It turns out that he was with Neusner during the four days he he was in Rome. They had became long-distance friends when Monda called him for an interview shortly after the first volume of JESUS OF NAZARETH came out. I will only excerpt the part of the article that concerns the Holy Father.
The rabbi meets the Pope
by ANDREA MONDA
Translated from
January 20, 2009
...On the second appointment in Rome, we spoke at length right after the event because I had accompanied them to the Vatican. The account told by Neusner and his wife Suzanne was as follows:
"We arrived at the Cortile San Damaso [where visitors enter the Apostolic Palace] at 11:15, but we had to wait for some time before we were received because they said the Pope was running late with his appointments,
"They led us to a room, a very beautiful one, actually, but then we were asked to transfer to another room, which was even more beautiful... In short, we ended up being seated in five different rooms, all of them splendid. And each time, someone came in to apologize for the delay in the name of the Pope - all very courteous persons, each one speaking a different language.
"But no one ever told us where there was a rest room! I remember visiting the White House, where someone would keep asking us if we needed to use a rest room! Shows you how practical we Americans Are!
"then finally we were led to the Pope's library - but what a big room! - and we were truly electrified! He was so very kind, and immediately put us at ease. We were alone, the three of us, for about 15-20 minutes. Just the right time, I thought, for two professors.
"I had known him for years as a scholar and held him in high esteem. But now it was most interesting to meet the man himself... He is humble and kind. He does not feel it is necessary to fill silences between one sentence and the nest - he sets out to listen. And he retains the curiosity of the scholar - that, he has not laid aside.
"He asked me about my students, and I said I adored them! He smiled - he knew what I meant.
"What most struck me about him are his eyes, penetrating. They can look in you and through you.."
As Neusner spoke, I recalled a statement made by Pier Paolo Pasolini in his book on India, when speaking of Mother Teresa of Calcutta: "When she looks, she sees", and the Pope's own words in
Deus caritas est, that the Christian should have 'a heart that sees' (No. 31).
Neusner goes on about this aspect of eyes and vision,
"Ratzinger is a man with a vision: for Europe, for the world, for mankind, for life (and against death). No one else today seems to have a vision. Politics everywhere is in crisis. But this gentle man knows exactly where he wants to go".
Did they speak of politics? Neusner says, "No, we did not."
What about the event at the Synagogue on Sunday? "Not that either."
Then what did they talk about?
"We spoke about or books, as professors do. I gave him two books - the Italian edition of one of my essays on the Talmud, and the German edition of
A Rabbi Talks with Jesus. He was very pleased with this, since he had read the book in English, and also because, he said, 'They are not big books, so I will be able to read them', almost with a sigh!
"Then he spoke about this new book, the second volume of the JESUS book. He said he has finally finished it, and it will come out in six months. I asked him if he planned to write other books, but his answer - which seemed to betray his real wish - was rather negative: 'I am 83 and I have other things to do'.
"And so, I desisted from what I had intended to propose - that we write a book together."
I let Neusner speak on, about this strange meeting of two old professors who are once again thousands of miles apart [Neusner has returned to New York], and although they had been together for only 20 minutes, perhaps they both feel less alone.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 21/01/2010 04:00]