Pope John Paul II on Thursday voiced support for a plan to combat rising anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe, but Vatican officials declined appeals by a Jewish delegation to recognize Israel. A Jewish leader, Seymour Reich, said two days of talks between the Jewish delegation and the Vatican marked ``the beginning of a new chapter'' in the Catholic-Jewish relationship. But he said delegates of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations were ``somewhat disappointed'' the pope did not go further in his comments. The Vatican's new foreign minister, Monsignor Jean-Louis Tauran, cited the Vatican's traditional reasons for not recognizing Israel, including unsettled borders, the status of Jerusalem and the Palestinians' lack of a homeland. The pope hailed progress in relations between Jews and Catholics in his speech to the 30-member Jewish delegation and top Vatican officials. In particular, he praised a September plan drawn up by Jews and Catholics in Prague, Czechoslovakia, for fighting anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe. The six-point plan included calls for setting up courses for priests to counter anti-Jewish sentiment, and omiting religiously divisive material from textbooks. The Prague meeting also branded anti-Semitism a sin. Jewish leaders have expressed concern about an upsurge of anti-Semitism in the former Communist countries of Eastern Europe, including the pope's native Poland. The pope praised the Prague meeting for coming ``to conclusions that are of great importance for the continuation of our dialogue and cooperation. It is my hope that these may be widely recognized and that the recommendations then formulated will be implemented wherever human and religious rights are violated.'' Besides the pope's endorsement for the plan to combat anti-Semitism, the Jewish delegation had sought the Vatican's formal recognition of Israel. But Reich, of Great Neck, N.Y., said they saw no change in the Vatican position on the Jewish State. Reich said the Jewish delegates told Vatican officials, ``there can be no full normalization of relations between the Catholic and Jewish communities until the Vatican has full normalization of relations with the Jewish state.'' Nevertheless, delegates said the one-hour papal meeting was warm. Lisa Palmieri-Billig of the Anti-Defamation League, quoted the pope as reiterating his wish to visit the Holy Land. ``I hope one day to be able to visit the holy sites, beginning with those of Abraham'' in Jerusalem, he said, according to Palmieri-Billig. ``That would be our joy,'' replied Rabbi David Rosen, according to Palmieri-Billig. Rosen is a representative of the Anti-Defamation League in Jerusalem. The Catholic-Jewish meetings were held to mark the 25th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, adopted during the Second Vatican Council. The document, considered a turning point in Catholic-Jewish relations, withdrew the accusation that the Jews were responsible for killing Christ.
