The election of Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new pope of the Roman Catholic Church, Francis I, has been warmly welcomed by Jewish community leaders around the world. All indications are that Pope Francis will advance the trend of improved Roman Catholic-Jewish relations of the past 50 years.

Pope Francis, 76, is admired for his genuine humility, warmth and lack of pretense. He took his papal name in tribute to St. Francis of Assisi, who was widely admired for his devotion to serving the less fortunate of the world. Indeed, Francis, of the Jesuit order known more for teaching and service than for hierarchical leadership, has demonstrated a strong social justice bent throughout his clerical career.

As a strong symbol of his desire to foster good relations with the Jewish community, Pope Francis extended a greeting immediately after his election to the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo di Segni. Both of his immediate predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II made a point of visiting the Chief Rabbi of Rome in their capacity as Bishop of Rome, insisting that the two religious leaders sit in identical thrones as a sign of mutual respect.

Rabbi Noam Marans, director of Interreligious Affairs and Intergroup Relations for the American Jewish Committee, said, “We have been given arguably the most positive result one could want in terms of Catholic-Jewish relations.” Marans noted that 200,000 Jews live in Argentina, making that community the seventh largest in the world. 

“The Latin American Jewish Congress has had a close relationship with Monsignor Jorge Bergoglio for many years,” said Claudio Epelman, executive director of the congress. “We know his virtues and have no doubt whatsoever that he will do an excellent job for the church.” 

Perhaps most important is the fact that as Cardinal of Buenos Aires, he responded forcefully and with compassion in the aftermath of the 1994 terrorist bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, the city’s Jewish community center, which killed 85 people in his native city. A report on the Jewish news website JNS.org quotes Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz, co-founder of the Center for Christian-Jewish Under-standing at Sacred Heart University as stating, “He was very concerned about what happened. He’s got experience.” In 2005, Cardinal Bergoglio signed a joint statement against terrorism with Jose Adaszko of the Israel Mutual Association of Argentina, and Omar Helal Massud of the Islamic Center, with an emphasis on preventing such attacks in the future.

The strong ties between Francis and the Argentinian Jewish community may also help fortify Catholic-Jewish ties in the United States. With the growth of Hispanic populations, a large swath of which practice Catholicism, having a strong role model and religious leader from Latin America who embraces interfaith respect, dialogue and a strong working relationship is likely a constructive occurrence.

Both Pope Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI improved and upgraded ties between Israel and the Holy See to full diplomatic relations, and each of them visited the State of Israel where they placed prayers for peace in the Western Wall in Jerusalem. 

David S. Mariaschin, executive vice president of B’nai B’rith International, said in response to the election of the new pope, “We have been encouraged by the historic progress in Catholic-Jewish relations. Interfaith dialogue, stressing tolerance and mutual respect, is increasingly important in today’s world.”

These are values which are shared by Jews as well as Christians and other faiths, and are added reasons for the Jewish community to applaud the selection of such a man as the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. We wish him well as he takes on the daunting duties of his office.