The only way was up

In the inevitable reflections on whether and how much interfaith relations improved during the tenure of the deceased Pope, it's worth a reminder of how bad things were before. In Saturday's Irish Times (subs. req'd), well-known Irish politician Ruari Quinn does a quick run through the 57 years or so of Irish-Israeli relations, the topic about which we have posted before.

One episode highlighted by Quinn is astonishing. In the early years of Israel's existence, the Vatican's stated position on recognition of the new state was linked to its concerns about access to and integrity of the Christian sites in Jerusalem. A Papal encyclical on these points was followed up by a letter from Archbishop John McQuaid of Dublin to the country's Chief Rabbi. Quinn doesn't provide a precise date for the letter, but it's clearly from the late 1940s, and thus after certain events about which one might expect McQuaid to show a little sensitivity.

It would indeed be a grievous pity if after having safely traversed a period of worldwide and unexampled crisis, innocent people in your community [Irish Jews] should now suffer hurt, by reason of the attitude and actions of irreligious members of Israel whose merely political and commercial aims would never be countenanced by peaceful members of your community in Dublin.

Which roughly translates as: OK, you got through the Holocaust by being in Dublin, but don't think that will save you from our local goons if your Shylocks in Jerusalem don't toe the Vatican line pretty quickly.

So yes, things have gotten better.