Pope John XXIII has eliminated certain phrases from the ritual of baptism for converts that were offensive to other faiths, it was disclosed today. In the case of a converted Jew the abolished formula read: “You should abhor Hebrew perfidy and reject Hebrew superstition.”
The decision follows an order by the Pope last year which deleted references to the “perfidy” of Jews in the church’s Good Friday liturgy. Vatican sources said the Pope had personally ordered the deletions “to emphasize everything that united and to remove anything that unduly divides believers in God.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
