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Extolling the Jews' greatest papal friend
Cleveland Jewish News ^ | 2-17-05 | MARILYN H. KARFELD

Posted on 02/17/2005 6:40:45 PM PST by SJackson

Growing up in the small Polish village of Wadowice, Karol Wojtyla, now Pope John Paul II, counted many Jews among his friends and neighbors.

A Jewish family owned his childhood house. Across the street, he watched his neighbors build their succah and light the Chanukah candles. Although there were separate Catholic and Jewish soccer teams, the young Wojtyla was always ready to play on the Jewish team.

His closest friend was Jerzy Kluger, whose father was president of the local synagogue. When the synagogue hired its first cantor on Yom Kippur eve, Wojtyla went to listen to the chanting of the Kol Nidre. Later, as pope, he remarked on how that evening's prayer moved and inspired him.

It was these experiences that have made John Paul II the greatest papal friend of the Jewish people in modern times, said Professor David Dalin, a rabbi and professor of history and political science at Ave Maria University in Florida.

"As pope, he built new conversations between Christians and Jews," said Dalin, speaking last week at John Carroll University.

The young Wojtyla's early friendships with Jews and his own experience living in Nazi-occupied Poland amidst virulent anti-Semitism no doubt shaped his views, said Dalin, who was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary. The pope's historic visit to the Rome Synagogue in 1986 and the Vatican's establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel in 1994 stem from his childhood experiences.

"His visit to the Rome synagogue was a culmination of the journey that began in his hometown of Wadowice attending Yom Kippur services," Dalin said. "It marked the beginning of a new era in Catholic-Jewish relations."

Recognizing the state of Israel was another milestone that some scholars said the Vatican would never do.

But Pope John Paul II proved the scholars wrong. No pope had ever publicly referred to Israel before, perhaps because of the Christian theology that Jews were condemned to wander the earth since they refused to accept Jesus as a messiah, Dalin said. In fact, in 1904, Pope Pius X told Theodore Herzl, considered the father of Zionism, that he couldn't support a Jewish state.

"Over the objections of some diplomats at the Vatican, John Paul II personally took the initiative to recognize the state of Israel," Dalin said. "He changed history, transforming the Vatican's relationship to Zionism and the Jewish state."

When Wojtyla became pope, his childhood friend Kluger and his wife Rene were the first dinner guests at the Vatican. Over the years, they've frequently visited the pope at the Vatican and at his summer home, Castel Gandolfo.

When the Germans invaded Poland in 1939, Wojtyla saw his Jewish neighbors disappear, Dalin said. Thus, when John Paul II visited Auschwitz in 1979, the first pope to do so, he paid tribute to the Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust, including those of his Polish friends. He called Jewish-Catholic dialogue a religious obligation for Catholics, Dalin said.

Immediately following his elevation to the papacy in 1978, John Paul reaffirmed the historic 1965 Vatican II document Nostra Aetate (In Our Time) The document repudiated the centuries-old Christian teaching that all Jews, including those in modern times, were guilty of the death of Jesus.

Throughout his papacy, John Paul II has stressed the common spiritual heritage of Christians and Jews, Dalin said. Addressing German Jewish representatives visiting the Vatican in 1980, he called the Hebrew Scriptures a sacred text and Judaism a "living legacy" that must be understood by Christians.

The Jews, the pope said, were the people of God, and their covenant with God has never been revoked.

In an address to Jewish leaders in Warsaw, the pope noted that the suffering of the Jewish people in the Holocaust served as the world's conscience. The Jewish memory of the Shoah, he added, was a warning voice for all of humanity.

At the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, 200 Holocaust survivors attended a Holocaust memorial concert at the Vatican. The pope arranged for the recitation of the Kaddish, the prayer for the dead, and lit six candles to honor the six million Jews killed in the Shoah.

"We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah," the Vatican's historic 1998 document, expresses repentance for individual Catholics' failure to protest the murder of Jews during the Shoah, Dalin said. However, other scholars have noted that the document absolved the church's doctrinal teachings of any responsibility. It also defended Pope Pius XII, who Jews fault for his silence during the Holocaust.

While Dalin acknowledged the document is controversial, he said the defense of Pope Pius XII was just a footnote. Furthermore, Dalin said Pope John Paul II described the Holocaust in a preface as "unspeakable iniquity and an indelible stain on the century."

When the pope visited Israel in March 2000, he continued his mission to further Jewish-Catholic relations. He had a tearful meeting with Holocaust survivors from Wadowice, Dalin noted. He saluted an Israeli flag and listened, "profoundly moved," to "Hatikvah," Israel's national anthem.

The pope's prayer at the Western Wall, where millions of Jews have prayed since the Romans destroyed the temple, "acknowledged the whole validity of Jewish prayer," Dalin said. "He affirmed Judaism, with no political, theological or social caveat."

John Paul II spoke at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, Dalin related. "No words are strong enough to describe my own personal memories," of my Jewish neighbors and friends, the pope said. "Remember, so never again shall evil prevail."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: johnpaulii; poland
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1 posted on 02/17/2005 6:40:46 PM PST by SJackson
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To: dennisw; Cachelot; Yehuda; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; ...
If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.
2 posted on 02/17/2005 6:41:46 PM PST by SJackson ( Bush is as free as a bird, He is only accountable to history and God, Ra'anan Gissin)
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To: SJackson

It is considered by some that in evaluating the Papacy, of John Paul II and judging it harshly is being sacrilegious. However, history will condemn him and eventually society will recognize his much vaunted deeds as style over substance.

3 posted on 02/17/2005 7:13:52 PM PST by ijcr
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To: NYer

ping


4 posted on 02/17/2005 7:30:46 PM PST by SJackson ( Bush is as free as a bird, He is only accountable to history and God, Ra'anan Gissin)
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To: ijcr

... there is a little line about not judging others in scripture. John Paul II has worked so hard and for so many years. I will not take one instance that I don't understand and dismiss all he has done as "style over substance".


5 posted on 02/17/2005 7:43:55 PM PST by MassRepublican
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To: ijcr; SJackson
Take the right, and pray for the difference.

Thanks for the ping, SJ.

6 posted on 02/17/2005 8:03:25 PM PST by onedoug
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To: ijcr

The Great Triumvirate of the latter 20th Century---Ronaldus Maximus Reaganus, Maggie (now don't go all wobbly on us) Thatcher, and this pope..

May God bless them all.

RD


7 posted on 02/17/2005 8:51:47 PM PST by reagandemocrat
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To: SJackson
The Hidden Pope is an interesting book about the lives of Karol Wojtyla and Jerzy Kluger from their childhood in pre-WWII Poland through their collaboration as Pope John Paul II and Kluger. This collaboration helped facilitate the Vatican's official recognition of Israel in 1994.
8 posted on 02/17/2005 8:52:44 PM PST by mista science
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To: ijcr

The caption on that picture is totally FALSE!! The Pope is not symbolically accepting anything of the sort, he's simply being courteous, gracious, and DIPLOMATIC. He is, after all, a Head of State, as well as the Earthly Leader of the World's Catholics. What did anyone expect him to do, spit on it?


9 posted on 02/17/2005 9:10:06 PM PST by SuziQ
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To: american colleen; Lady In Blue; Salvation; narses; SMEDLEYBUTLER; redhead; Notwithstanding; ...
The pope's prayer at the Western Wall, where millions of Jews have prayed since the Romans destroyed the temple, "acknowledged the whole validity of Jewish prayer," Dalin said. "He affirmed Judaism, with no political, theological or social caveat."

NOSTRA AETATE DECLARATION ON THE RELATION OF THE CHURCH TO NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS

Catholic Ping - Come home for Easter and experience God’s merciful love. Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

American Catholic - Lent Feature

10 posted on 02/18/2005 6:03:37 AM PST by NYer ("The Eastern Churches are the Treasures of the Catholic Church" - Pope John XXIII)
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To: NYer
"...He affirmed Judaism, with no political, theological or social caveat."

That pretty much says it all, doesn't it?
Church teachings, dogma, and practices over 1,500 years tell us that there are theological, social, political caveats to be engaged as we follow our one, true, Roman Catholic faith.

11 posted on 02/18/2005 6:12:05 AM PST by vox_freedom (Fear no evil)
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To: SuziQ

Exactly.


12 posted on 02/18/2005 6:16:24 AM PST by Grzegorz 246
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To: Grzegorz 246; SuziQ; vox_freedom
The Koran pic gets trotted out when people want to accuse the Pope of apostasy. Generally, kissing a that book is a custom of diplomacy. The Pope would do anything to keep the Church running in the Mideast, most notably Saudi Arabia.

I am surprised the clown pic hasn't been trotted out by now, or the claim that the Church is building a Hindi Temple at Fatima.

One other thing, why wouldn't Jewish Prayer be heard by God, after all, doesn't he know the hairs on your head, or where the sparrow falls? There are theological differences, of course, if there were none, we would invite all these people to Communion at Mass freely.
13 posted on 02/18/2005 7:57:46 AM PST by Dominick ("Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." - JP II)
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To: MassRepublican
There are many that evoke that line and forget to read the next sentence. "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you."

Surprisingly few people have read his book "Crossing the Threshold of Hope".The Pope's rejection of the view that there is a lack of governance and discipline in the Church , his focus on Marism,mysticism,tolerance of Islam, and condemnation of Buddhism leave one to the conclusion that certain tenets of the Catholic faith are not important to this Pope.

I do not denigrate the man or his office and one can only admire his opposition to contraception, abortion and euthanasia,yet his stewardship has been an unmitigated disaster.
14 posted on 02/18/2005 8:21:42 AM PST by ijcr (Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.)
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To: ijcr

Being the biggest target, the Catholic Church attracts a plethora of poor marksmen.


15 posted on 02/18/2005 9:24:20 AM PST by Barnacle (Navigating the treacherous waters of a liberal culture)
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To: Barnacle

You should make that comment your tagline ;-D


16 posted on 02/18/2005 9:36:08 AM PST by NYer ("The Eastern Churches are the Treasures of the Catholic Church" - Pope John XXIII)
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To: ijcr
I do not denigrate the man or his office...

From:http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=denigrate

den·i·grate ( P ) Pronunciation Key (dn-grt) tr.v. den·i·grat·ed, den·i·grat·ing, den·i·grates

1) To attack the character or reputation of; speak ill of; defame.

2) To disparage; belittle: The critics have denigrated our efforts.

...his stewardship has been an unmitigated disaster.

... history will condemn him and eventually society will recognize his much vaunted deeds as style over substance.

I do not denigrate the man or his office...

17 posted on 02/18/2005 9:39:24 AM PST by Barnacle (Being the biggest target, the Catholic Church attracts a plethora of poor marksmen.)
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To: ijcr; NYer

Pope accepting of Islam doctrine?

So, when Rummy shook hands with Saddam back in Reagan's day he was accepting of all of Saddam's horrific acts?

I don't follow your logic. Perhaps you should see both Jesus and the Pope as theives that steal souls away from the devil. The Pope isn't bound by Islamic doctrine. It's the Islamic clerics who are tied up and struggling against their lies.

Furthermore, "history" doesn't judge. God Judges all, and it's His judgment that matters. Since God is the author of history, we'll see who's held in higher regard when time is complete. Us bloggers don't matter much when compared to the Pope. We don't risk enough to have more than the required respected regard. The Pope risks his entire self all the time. Thus, I'll side with the Pope and not worry about single frame photos and quick captions sniping at his character.


18 posted on 02/18/2005 9:50:56 AM PST by SaltyJoe ("Social Justice" begins with the unborn child. "Fetus" means "young one".)
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To: NYer
Consider it done

?:^T

19 posted on 02/18/2005 9:51:10 AM PST by Barnacle (Being the biggest target, the Catholic Church attracts a plethora of poor marksmen.)
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To: ijcr

The caption underneath that picture is a lie. Stop spreading it.


20 posted on 02/18/2005 10:08:22 AM PST by BlessedBeGod (George W. Bush -- The Terror of the Terrorists)
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