In Woody Allen’s classic movie “Annie Hall”, the protagonist Alfie Singer tells his friend, “I met a guy from NBC at a restaurant and he says to me, ‘Jew eat?...Jew!’” Alfie hears anti-Semitism everywhere.

The Vatican, as the entire world now knows, has become entangled in a mounting scandal of molestation of children by priests in Germany, Ireland, The United States, England, Austria , France and Switzerland. Media accounts of a priest in Wisconsin who had abused 200 deaf boys at a Catholic school over decades burst into the headlines. Parents had complained to church authorities for years to no avail. Records show that reports of the abuse reached to the highest levels of the Vatican, where Cardinal Ratzinger – later to become Pope Benedict XVI – had allowed the priest to avoid being defrocked. When illness struck, “compassion” was extended and he died as a priest.

At the Good Friday service at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome with

Pope Benedict present, the Reverend Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the papal household, gave the sermon. He said that he was thinking of the Jews at the season of Passover and Easter because “they know from experience what it means to be victims of collective violence and

also because of this, they are quick to recognize the recurring symptoms.” He went on to quote from the letter of an unnamed Jewish friend, “I am following with indignation the violent and concentric attacks against the church, the pope and all the faithful by the whole world. The use of stereotypes, the passing from personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt, remind me of the more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.”

It appeared that Father Cantalamessa was not referring to the molested boys as the victims. Later in his lengthy address, he said briefly, “I am not speaking here of violence against children, of which unfortunately also elements of the clergy are stained; of that there is sufficient talk outside of here.” His main emphasis was on Scripture, the nature of violence and the sacrifice of Jesus. However, advocates of the abused victims and Jewish groups immediately responded to his comparison of the world’s outrage at the sex scandal to the persecution of the Jews.

The Vatican attempted to distance itself from his remarks. Reverend Federico Lombardi, the official spokesman, said that Father Cantalamessa’s message were his own thoughts and should not be taken as equating recent criticism of the Catholic Church with anti-Semitism. “I don’t think it’s an appropriate comparison. That’s why the letter should be read as a letter of solidarity by a Jew.” Yet, the next day, the official Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, published the remarks and they appeared online Friday evening.

Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, the chief rabbi of Rome reacted with disbelief when asked about Father Cantalamessa’s comments. “With a minimum of irony, I will say that today is Good Friday, when they pray that the Lord illuminate our hearts so we recognize Jesus.” In referring to a prayer in the traditional Catholic liturgy calling for conversion of the Jews, he added, “We also pray that the Lord illuminate theirs.” Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, head of the German Bishops Conference, spoke out sharply, saying that the sexually abused victims were not helped “out of a misplaced concern for the reputation of the church.” He added that the church was shaken “by the suffering inflicted on the victims, who often for decades could not put their injuries into words.”

Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League in the United States, was biting in his criticism, “You would think that a senior priest in the church would have a better understanding of anti- Semitism than to make this hideous comparison.” Leon Wieseltier, the literary editor at The New Republic and a scholar of Judaism, asked a piercing question, “Why would the Catholic Church wish to defend itself by referring to other enormities in which it was also implicated?” It is important to note that it was not until the Vatican II Conference, convened by Pope John XXIII in l963, that the deicide charge – fundamental to centuries of violent acts of anti-Semitism – was lifted from the Jewish people.

Father Cantalamessa was appointed as the official papal preacher in l980 by Pope Paul II. He spoke after weeks of intense scrutiny and articles in Italian newspapers focused on conspiracies against the church and the Pope. On Easter Sunday, L’ Osservatore published a summary of support for Pope Benedict from bishops around the world. Headlines said he was the target of “crude propaganda” and a “base defamation operation.” Father Cantalamessa did offer an apology in print, “If, against every intention, I hurt the feelings of Jews and victims of pedophilia, I am truly sorry and apologize.” Unfortunately, the seeds he had sown were not dispelled that easily. The daily newspaper, La Repubblica wrote that “certain Catholic circles” believed that the criticism of the church originated from “a New York Jewish lobby.”

In 2007, Pope Benedict issued a ruling that made it easier for priests to use the Latin Mass that had been set aside by Vatican II. This included the Good Friday prayer of conversion of the Jews. He also stirred anger among Jews in January 2009 when he revoked the excommunication of four bishops, one of whom denied the deaths of six million Jews during the Holocaust. However, his visit to the Great Synagogue in Rome in January 2010 was well received by the Jewish community in Italy and around the world. It would seem most unfortunate that anti-Semitism was introduced as a comparison to the scandal that has roiled the Catholic Church. One can almost hear Alfie Singer saying, “Jews... Jews! What chutzpah involving us in their outrageous story!”

Joyce S. Anderson is the author of “Courage in High Heels,” “Flaw in the Tapestry,” “If Winter Comes” and “The Mermaids Singing.” She can be reached at JSAWrite@aol.com.