Posted on 04/19/2005 4:49:13 PM PDT by wagglebee
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed the election of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new pope, Benedict XVI.
Under his leadership in Germany and Rome, the Catholic Church made important strides in improving Catholic-Jewish relations and atoning for the sin of anti-Semitism.
Cardinal Ratzinger has been a leader in this effort and has made important statements in the spirit of sensitivity and reconciliation with the Jewish people.
Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National director, issued the following statement:
"We welcome the new Papacy of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. From the Jewish perspective, the fact that he comes from Europe is important, because he brings with him an understanding and memory of the painful history of Europe and of the 20th Century experience of European Jewry.
"Having lived through World War II, Cardinal Ratzinger has great sensitivity to Jewish history and the Holocaust. He has shown this sensitivity countless times, in meetings with Jewish leadership and in important statements condemning anti-Semitism and expressing profound sorrow for the Holocaust. We remember with great appreciation his Christmas reflections on December 29, 2000, when he memorably expressed remorse for the anti-Jewish attitudes that persisted through history, leading to 'deplorable acts of violence' and the Holocaust. Cardinal Ratzinger said: 'Even if the most recent, loathsome experience of the Shoah (Holocaust) was perpetrated in the name of an anti-Christian ideology, which tried to strike the Christian faith at its Abrahamic roots in the people of Israel, it cannot be denied that a certain insufficient resistance to this atrocity on the part of Christians can be explained by an inherited anti-Judaism present in the hearts of not a few Christians.'
"Though as a teenager he was a member of the Hitler Youth, all his life Cardinal Ratzinger has atoned for the fact. In our years of working on improving Catholic-Jewish ties, ADL has had opportunities to work with Cardinal Ratzinger. We look forward to continuing that relationship."
The Pope was a victim of Hitler just like many other Germans, he was not a war criminal, he was not a Nazi and he has never said anything that would lead anyone to believe he felt anything but love for the Jewish people. It appears the left is simply perturbed because they were finally faced with an election that there was no possibility of interfering with.
Wow! Congrats to Foxman for being a gentleman.
This is good to hear. I had some concerns about the reactions of the Jewish people to a German pope.
Ratzinger a Nazi? Don't believe it
Jerusalem Post ^ | Apr. 18, 2005 | Sam Ser
Posted on 04/19/2005 12:52:18 PM EDT by Alouette
Basically it's a good idea for a Pope to distance himself from Adolph Hitler - duh!
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Yes, this was a very generous gesture on his part. Too bad it won't stop the media and the left from calling Pope Benedict a Nazi at every opportunity.
He could go one-better now and distance himself (read: kick him out of rome and back to the 'States to face prosecution) from bernard law (who was given sanctuary by that Staropolski czlowiek)...
Cardinal Law was not facing prosecution.
Somebody must have written the text for Foxman, he could never be that gracious. Foxman, the would-be censor of "The Passion of the Christ".
No, not yet. But I hear the investigations continue and I don't believe there's an extradition treaty with the vatican. If they _do_ find anything there's probably no way they can compel him come back here. Or, the Organization can do it's best to spend the Faithful's $$$ to make it difficult.
Probably not, but at least now Catholics can point to this statement by the ADL. Kinda takes the wind out of the MSM's sails.
I dont think anyone is listening to the liberal media anymore. Ultimately, they are just preaching to the converted.
Seems to me that Foxman isn't the one lacking in graciousness here.
Law would probably be sent back if he's indicted.
But I'm sure O'Reilly (MA Dem Attorney General) would have already tried if he could - he's gunning for Governor in '06, and prosecuting Law would probably swing it for him.
Then obviously you weren't reading dear Foxman a year ago. He was expressing great fear that Americans Christian pogroms would break out when "The Passion" was shown in theaters. And if you think I'm exaggerating, why don't you graciously look up scores of FR threads quoting Foxman?
Agreed. It takes a heck of a lot of courage for Mr. Foxman to make a gracious statement such as this. He is a gentleman.
Regardless of Foxman said last year, his words in this press release are gracious, and certainly welcome, I would think, to Catholics irritated by the MSM's harping on Ratzinger. It is unfortunate that you decided to use this moment to be ungracious in return. Sometimes, people we normally oppose politically say something with which we agree. This is not a bad thing.
Yeah, but: "double jeopardy". If he screws up the first time he'll never get a second chance and THAT would lose '06 and everything thereafter. Better to take a term to do it right and sew-up the NEXT nomination.
I'm surprised by the choice of Joseph Ratzinger to be Pope because of his background in the Nazi Youth. However, he was young and impressionable during a horrible time and never committed any war crimes. I think he deserves to be given a chance.
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