Pope Francis met with Jewish leaders on Monday to deliver his greetings to the Jewish community for Rosh Hashana and address Poland’s ban on kosher slaughter, according to Israel Hayom.
The Vatican hosted several leaders of the World Jewish Congress to discuss religious persecution worldwide several days before the Jewish New Year.
The Pope also reiterated his call for religious solidarity and said that "to be good a Christian it is necessary to understand Jewish history and traditions."
According to Israel Hayom:
A WJC statement said the pontiff and Lauder spoke about the situation in Syria "and agreed to speak out against attacks on religious minorities, such as Coptic Christians in Egypt and against trends to restrict well-established religious practices such as circumcision."
In addition, according to the statement, "The pope specifically expressed concern about the bans on kosher slaughter in Poland and directed Cardinal Kurt Koch, the president of the Vatican's Commission for Relations with the Jews, to investigate and host a follow-up meeting as early as next week."
