Many men stand tall in the annals of history, but few reach the stature of Simon Wiesenthal. Called the "conscience of the Holocaust," Wiesenthal pledged his life and his energies for a single cause: "When history looks back, I want people to know the Nazis weren't able to kill millions of people and get away with it….If we pardon this genocide, it will be repeated, and not only on Jews. If we don't learn this lesson, then millions died for nothing."
While he was successful in tracking down and bringing to justice many Nazi war criminals, his greatest contribution will be the enduring legacy he gave the world in making certain that future generations never forget the horrors of the Holocaust.
On behalf of all Roman Catholics in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, I wish to extend my personal sympathies to our Jewish brothers and sisters as they ponder the life and the determination of a man whose entire life was consumed with protecting the fundamental right to life and dignity for all peoples on this earth. While his physical presence has ebbed away, his spirit of determination to create a world where prejudice and hatred no longer exist will continue forward. We Catholics join you, our Jewish brothers and sisters, in continuing this essential mission of our respective Faith Communities.
Simon Wiesenthal died one month before the 40th anniversary of an historic document from the Second Vatican Council, Nostra Aetate [Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, Oct. 28, 1965]. The message and spirit of that Declaration has given rise to renewed dialogue and unprecedented collaboration between the Jewish peoples and the Catholic Church around the world.
That Declaration sets before us a vision and a mission that have both been pursued with extraordinary zeal these past 40 years:
"The Church of Christ acknowledges that in God's plan of salvation the beginning of her faith and election is to be found in the patriarchs, Moses and the prophets. She professes that all Christ's faithful, who as men of faith are sons of Abraham (cf. Gal. 3:7), are included in the same patriarch's call and that the salvation of the Church is mystically prefigured in the exodus of God's chosen people from the land of bondage. On this account the Church cannot forget that she received the revelation of the Old Testament by way of that people with whom God in his inexpressible mercy established the ancient covenant. Nor can she forget that she draws nourishment from that good olive tree onto which the wild olive branches of the Gentiles have been grafted (cf. Rom. 11:17-24). The Church believes that Christ who is our peace has through his cross reconciled Jews and Gentiles and made them one in himself (cf. Eph. 2:14-16). [Par. 4]
Simon Wiesenthal's role in furthering dialogue with the Catholic Church flows from his determination that all peoples must live in mutual understanding and respect, as well as in constant dialogue so that the values and principles of our Faith foundations might be the pillars upon which is built a new era of peace among all.
Pope Benedict XVI met last week with Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, and spoke of the influence of Nostra Aetate upon Jewish-Christian relations over these past years: "I see your visit as a further step forward in the process of building deeper religious relations between Catholics and Jews, a course which has received new impulse and energy from Nostra Aetate and from the many forms of contact, dialogue and cooperation that have their origin in the principles and spirit of that document. The Church continues to make every effort to implement the Council's vision of a new era of better mutual understanding, respect and solidarity between us."
The Pope reflected the same energetic vision of Simon Wiesenthal during his visit to the German Synagogue in Cologne last month: "Today, we must continue to seek ways to fulfill that responsibility…of handing down to young people the torch of hope that God has given to Jews and to Christians, so that never again will the forces of evil come to power, and that future generations, with God's help, may be able to build a more just and peaceful world, in which all people have equal rights and are equally at home."
It is surely providential that the Catholics of Los Angeles are celebrating with our Jewish brothers and sisters "Nostra Aetate at 40 --- Seeds for a Secure Future." Two renowned speakers will address those gathering in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Thursday evening, September 22, at 7:30 p.m.: Rabbi Michael A. Signer, Professor in the Department of Theology and Senior Fellow of the Medieval Institute, at Notre Dame University, as well as the Director of the Notre Dame Holocaust Project; and His Eminence, Cardinal William Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, and a member of the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, as well as the Episcopal Moderator for Catholic-Jewish relations for the Bishops' Conference of the United States.
The events of Thursday evening are open to the public free of charge, and all are welcome.
The presentations on Thursday evening will take on deeper meaning and broader significance with the death of Simon Wiesenthal and his extraordinary historic role in recent human history.
I cordially invite everyone --- Jewish, Catholic, and all peoples of good will --- to join us on Thursday evening for this celebration of the influence of Nostra Aetate on the world and upon Jewish-Catholic relations these past 40 years.
I could not allow this moment to pass without expressing my profound gratitude to Monsignor Royale Vadakin who was the one in this Archdiocese who understood the importance of Nostra Aetate and opened a new era of dialogue, collaboration and solidarity between our two Faith Communities.
I conclude with the blessing Pope Benedict prayed when he met with the two Chief Rabbis: "May the Lord sustain us in serving the great cause of promoting the sacredness of human life and defending the human dignity of every person, so that justice and peace may flourish in the world." For more information about the Thursday evening Nostra Aetate commemoration in the new Cathedral, go to the Cathedral website: www.olacathedral.org |