"He was an outstanding religious figure who took all effort to unite people for their reconciliation, mutual understanding and respect," the rabbi said in a RIA Novosti interview on Sunday.
Humanism was the basis of Karol Wojtyla's activities, which can set an example to everyone regardless of religion, Shayevich said. "First of all, it concerns religious leaders," he added.
The rabbi pointed out the significant improvement of relations between the Judaist and Catholic communities during John Paul II's papacy. John Paul II was the first Pontiff to visit a synagogue.
I prayed for his health in the last days of his life when his condition had considerably deteriorated and so did other rabbis, Shayevich stressed.
"John Paul II's death is a great loss for the religious world," he concluded.
