Rabbi Moshe Tzedaka, the rosh yeshiva of the Sefardi haredi flagship Yeshivat Porat Yosef located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, ruled today that Jews who intentionally went to see Pope Francis, who was visiting Israel, had become “tamei” (ritually impure). Tzedaka also ruled that anyone who saw the pope’s face must immerse in a mikva (ritual bath) to rid himself from the impurity transmitted to him through seeing the pope's face.
Pope Francis
Another Haredi Rabbi Rules Looking At Pope Makes Jews Impure
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Another haredi rabbi has ruled that looking at the pope makes a Jew spiritually impure.
Rabbi Moshe Tzedaka, the rosh yeshiva of the Sefardi haredi flagship Yeshivat Porat Yosef located in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, ruled today that Jews who intentionally went to see Pope Francis, who was visiting Israel, had become “tamei” (ritually impure).
Tzedaka also ruled that anyone who saw the pope’s face must immerse in a mikva (ritual bath) to rid himself from the impurity transmitted to him through seeing the pope's face.
Last week, a haredi kabbalist with Sefardic origins, Rabbi Yaakov Adas, also said the pope’s image causes jews to become spiritually impure. Adas ruled that Jews should not look at the pope and those who do so mistakenly need to immerse in a mikva to purify themselves.