Pope Francisco receives gift from Israeli Prime Minister

Yesterday, Benjamin Netanyahu gave to the Argentine Pope, a book about the the Spanish inquisition written by his late father, the Israeli historian Ben- Zion Netanyahu.

Besides the book entitled “Origins of the Inquisition,” which is translated into Spanish , the Israeli prime minister also gave him a silver menorah.

The book was published in 1995 and written by Netanyahu, a specialist in forced conversion and expulsion of the Jews from the peninsula in the fifteenth century. Netanyahu, who died last year, opposed to the partition of Palestine between Jews and Muslims, and was known in academic circles for his research on the persecution carried out by the Inquisition of the Spanish Jews in the Middle Ages.

“To his Holiness Pope Franciscus, a great pastor of our common heritage,” wrote the Israeli president as dedication.

Francisco thanked him and also presented him a bronze plaque of Saint Paul. Through a translator, the two leaders focused their conversation on the resumption of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, and on Francisco’s next pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Although no specific date was given, the trip is scheduled for May, with a stop in Jordan.