 People watch Pope Francis on a giant screen in St. Peter's
square as he celebrates his inaugural Mass with cardinals inside
the Sistine Chapel. Photo by AP Text size  ROME - Where I grew
up, there were a number of persistent myths regarding the
Vatican. One was that directly beneath the pope's throne, in a
subterranean cavern, lies the Menorah, the golden candelabra
plundered by the Roman legions from the Temple in Jerusalem in
70 AD. And as long as it is there, the head of the Christian
faith can still feel that he is superior to the Jews.  Long
before Dan Brown came along with his Da Vinci Code, this myth
had sprouted additional layers of legend, like the story of the
Mossad agent sent by David Ben-Gurion to recover the Menorah but
who died in the attempt. You would be surprised by how
widespread this myth is and the number of serious people -
including some quite prominent rabbis and academics who really
should know better - who believe it.  Of course, even a cursory
knowledge of Roman history is enough t