We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah
Encyclopedia
We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah is a document published in 1998 by the Catholic Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, under the authority of Pope John Paul II
. In this document the Vatican condemned Nazi genocide and called for repentance from Catholics who had failed to intercede to stop it. It urges Catholics to repent "of past errors and infidelities" and "renew the awareness of the Hebrew roots of their faith" while distinguishing between the Church's "anti-Judaism" as religious teaching and the murderous anti-Semitism of Nazi Germany
which it described as having "roots outside Christianity."
In a cover letter dated March 12, 1998, addressed to Edward Idris Cardinal Cassidy president of the Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews, the Pope describes his "sense of deep sorrow [regarding] the sufferings of the Jewish people during the Second World War" and how the "Shoah remains an indelible stain on the history of the century", with his hopes that the document would "help to heal the wounds of past misunderstandings and injustices" and help create "a future in which the unspeakable iniquity of the Shoah will never again be possible".
, called the document, 11 years in the making, a "carefully crafted statement that goes further than the Roman Catholic Church has ever gone in reckoning honestly with its passivity during the Nazi era and its historic antipathy toward Jews" that breaks new political and theological ground that is a denunciation of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust and a call to repentance. The New York Times criticized the Pope's failure to address the alleged silence of Pope Pius XII
, finding it "regrettable that the Vatican has not yet found the courage to discard this defensive, incomplete depiction" that includes details of church efforts to save Jews and thanks that Pope Pius XII received from Jewish organizations while neglecting details of what it claimed to be his silence in dealing with Nazi Germany.
Rabbi David G. Dalin, however strongly criticized the New York Times for its one-sided hostility to the Vatican's role during the Holocaust. He added that, "it is particularly irresponsible and outrageous for liberal papal critics... to blame the Catholic Church for anti-Semitism, to falsify the Church's efforts to save Jews during the Holocaust, and to ignore the fact that popes since the twelfth century have rejected the blood libel."
Rabbi Leon Klenicki
, then director of interfaith relations for the Anti-Defamation League
, called the document "a salad" which was important in describing the Holocaust and insisting that it never be forgotten, noting that "the deniers of the Holocaust in Europe now have to deal with the Vatican", but which missed an opportunity for "a reckoning of the soul" by the Vatican.
The interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee
, Rabbi A. James Rudin
, indicated that expectations were high, and praised its emphasis on remembrance of the Holocaust, a call for repentance from individuals who stood by and efforts to combat anti-Semitism. Rudin lamented the absence of an acknowledgment that the Church's anti-Jewish teachings created an environment in which lethal anti-Semitism could take hold and flourish.
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. In this document the Vatican condemned Nazi genocide and called for repentance from Catholics who had failed to intercede to stop it. It urges Catholics to repent "of past errors and infidelities" and "renew the awareness of the Hebrew roots of their faith" while distinguishing between the Church's "anti-Judaism" as religious teaching and the murderous anti-Semitism of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
which it described as having "roots outside Christianity."
In a cover letter dated March 12, 1998, addressed to Edward Idris Cardinal Cassidy president of the Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews, the Pope describes his "sense of deep sorrow [regarding] the sufferings of the Jewish people during the Second World War" and how the "Shoah remains an indelible stain on the history of the century", with his hopes that the document would "help to heal the wounds of past misunderstandings and injustices" and help create "a future in which the unspeakable iniquity of the Shoah will never again be possible".
Reactions
A March 18, 1998, editorial in The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, called the document, 11 years in the making, a "carefully crafted statement that goes further than the Roman Catholic Church has ever gone in reckoning honestly with its passivity during the Nazi era and its historic antipathy toward Jews" that breaks new political and theological ground that is a denunciation of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust and a call to repentance. The New York Times criticized the Pope's failure to address the alleged silence of Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
, finding it "regrettable that the Vatican has not yet found the courage to discard this defensive, incomplete depiction" that includes details of church efforts to save Jews and thanks that Pope Pius XII received from Jewish organizations while neglecting details of what it claimed to be his silence in dealing with Nazi Germany.
Rabbi David G. Dalin, however strongly criticized the New York Times for its one-sided hostility to the Vatican's role during the Holocaust. He added that, "it is particularly irresponsible and outrageous for liberal papal critics... to blame the Catholic Church for anti-Semitism, to falsify the Church's efforts to save Jews during the Holocaust, and to ignore the fact that popes since the twelfth century have rejected the blood libel."
Rabbi Leon Klenicki
Leon Klenicki
Rabbi Leon Klenicki was an advocate for interfaith relations, particularly between Jews and Catholics. He served as interfaith director of the Anti-Defamation League...
, then director of interfaith relations for the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
, called the document "a salad" which was important in describing the Holocaust and insisting that it never be forgotten, noting that "the deniers of the Holocaust in Europe now have to deal with the Vatican", but which missed an opportunity for "a reckoning of the soul" by the Vatican.
The interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
, Rabbi A. James Rudin
A. James Rudin
A. James Rudin is an American rabbi noted for his work in inter-religious affairs.He was born in Alexandria, Virginia. He is a 1957 graduate of Wesleyan University...
, indicated that expectations were high, and praised its emphasis on remembrance of the Holocaust, a call for repentance from individuals who stood by and efforts to combat anti-Semitism. Rudin lamented the absence of an acknowledgment that the Church's anti-Jewish teachings created an environment in which lethal anti-Semitism could take hold and flourish.
External links
- Documents relating to We Remember: A Reflection On The Shoah, Commission for Religious Relations with the JewsPontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the JewsThe Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews is a pontifical commission in the Roman Curia tasked with maintaining positive theological ties with Jews and Judaism...
- A Jewish response to We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah