A former head of the World Jewish Congress , Israel Singer , reported that he worked with Bergoglio in the early 2000s , distributing aid to the poor as part of a joint Jewish – Catholic program called " Tzedaká " . Singer noted that he was impressed with Bergoglio 's modesty , remembering that " if everyone sat in chairs with handles arms , he would sit in the one without . " Bergoglio also co-hosted a '' Kristallnacht '' memorial ceremony at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral in 2012 , and joined a group of clerics from a number of different religions to light candles in a 2012 synagogue ceremony on the occasion of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Pope Francis