 Judaism, along with Hinduism, is recognised as a cult but not as a religion in Malta.In 2010, Hindu and Jewish groups urged Pope Benedict XVI to intervene to ensure that Malta treats all religions equally before the law., but the Pope did not intervene.Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, a Jewish leader in California and Nevada in the US, said in a statement in Nevada that he believed the Catholic Church in Malta was not serious about sharing the minority religious viewpoint, and that he was disappointed that they did not want to discuss issues of religious equality with minority religions and denominations.