AP
Cardinal Walter Kasper, chairman of the commission for religious relations, left, and former French Chief Rabbi Rene-Samuel Sirat

Jewish and Roman Catholic leaders from across Europe have concluded a two-day meeting in Paris with a joint pledge to fight anti-Semitism.

In a joint statement that contained separate comments from both religions, the leaders called anti-Semitism a hateful perversion of the divine message. The landmark talks focused on bilateral relations, religious matters, and historical accuracy. It was the first meeting of this kind between Jewish and Roman Catholic leaders.

Jewish delegates said they wanted to build on the mutual good will generated by Pope John Paul's trip to the Holy Land in the year 2000.

Jewish leaders have been asking for a critical reassessment of Pope Pius XXII. Critics say the pontiff, who reigned during World War II, did too little to alleviate Jewish suffering during the Holocaust. Supporters of Pope Pius say he did as much as he could to save lives.

The Vatican has denied claims that it has put the planned beatification of Pope Pius on hold in response to recent criticism of the late pontiff.

Also, French Jews have complained of rising anti-semitism. Acts of arson and vandalism against Jewish schools and synagogues in France have increased in recent months. Jewish leaders say the attacks are related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to the U.S.-led anti-terrorist campaign.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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