I vividly remember each of the many times I was fortunate enough to meet with Pope Francis. The initial meeting was in June 2013, when the pontiff welcomed a group of Jewish organizations to the Vatican — the first of many such meetings of his tenure.

We were expecting a large ornate hall, complete with the new pope seated on a royal chair atop a riser. But Francis had not yet (reluctantly) given in to the reality of his position, the one where he led more than a billion Catholics and became, perhaps, the most recognized and influential person on Earth.

Instead, we met in an intimate room and he greeted us with his inimitable pastoral warmth. It was then when he said, referencing Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council document that transformed Catholic-Jewish relations for the better:

…The Council recalls the teaching of Saint Paul, who wrote “the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” and who also firmly condemned hatred, persecution, and all forms of antisemitism. Due to our common roots, a Christian cannot be antisemitic!

Francis continued to share words to that effect dozens of times during his 12-year tenure, even as recently as Easter during his final public appearance on Sunday. He did not mean that there was no antisemitism in the Christian world. Rather,........

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