Reaction to document mixed

Local reaction to the Vatican's new document on the Holocaust has been mixed. Here is a sampling:

* Bishop Howard J. Hubbard: "The great significance of this document, I believe, is that it is an unambiguous repudiation of anti-Semitism and will serve as a teaching document in our seminaries, Catholic schools and religious education programs throughout the world, condemning both the Holocaust and the anti-Semitism which produced it.

"I realize that some in the Jewish community believe this document has not gone far enough in examining the role of the Church and of individual Christians in executing the atrocities of the Holocaust or in failing to do more to prevent this tragedy. It should be noted, however, that Cardinal Edward Cassidy, the president of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, which issued the statement, indicated that the exploration of Catholic-Jewish relations is not yet over and that 'nothing is closed with this document.'"

* Rabbi Paul Silton, from Temple Israel in Albany: "I don't think that [Church leaders] have to repent for what other people have done. I really don't think it's fair to blame one generation for the misdeeds of a past generation."

Although he has met numerous Christians who risked their lives to help Jewish people during the Holocaust, Rabbi Silton conceded that "the Church, in and of itself, was anti-Semitic and promoted anti-Semitism. The statement from the Pope is certainly very welcome and very helpful. I would like it to go a step further."

Rather than accept responsibility for the inaction of some Christians during the Holocaust, the Vatican should challenge people nowadays who are bigoted against any race or any religion.

"Those are the people that the Pope has to address and ask them to purify themselves, not so much for what happened in the past, because they're not responsible for that, but because of their present state of mind," he said.

* Joan Dunham, co-chairperson of the Albany diocesan Jewish-Catholic Dialogue and a member of the diocesan Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs: "I'm a little disappointed. I think it could have been more forceful."

She disagreed with the assertion that the Holocaust "was the work of a thoroughly modern neo-pagan regime" and that "its anti-Semitism had its roots outside of Christianity," as the statement reads.

Christians had ostracized Jewish people for centuries and used them as scapegoats in Jesus' death, Mrs. Dunham pointed out. "That was imbibed in people. Even though Hitler was outside of Christianity, he was raised on that theory," she said.

* Prof. Peter Zaas, director of the Institute for Jewish-Christian Studies at Siena College in Loudonville: "The Jewish community has every reason to applaud the document's call to repentance those Christians who were not strong enough to protest the 'disappearance of their Jewish neighbors' during the Shoah. What we may fail to applaud is the document's willingness to blame ordinary Christians for their failures while complimenting the Church hierarchy for its courage."

He added that while Jews may find the document to be lacking in certain areas, "it may be worth remembering that unspeakable evil is -- unspeakable. There is an unlimited amount of blame to be shared and an unlimited amount of repentance to undertake. To attempt to measure the amount of responsibility the Vatican should accept for the horror of the Shoah is to try to measure the unmeasurable."

* Rev. James Kane, director of the diocesan Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs: "I am most grateful to our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, for this long-awaited document on the Holocaust, with its expression of repentance for Christian failure to oppose the Nazi scheme of exterminating the Jews, and for the history of anti-Semitism in some Church teachings and by Church teachers -- all the more ironic, given the Jewish roots of our Christianity."

He expressed hope that the tragedy of the six million Jews and five million Christians who died during the Holocaust may lead to stronger ties between the Jewish and Christian communities.

* Rabbi Bernard Bloom, rabbi emeritus of Temple Gates of Heaven in Schenectady: "It lays the groundwork for some continued communication and strengthening of a mutual understanding. I do think, however, that it glosses over some of the history of the Church."

While the document "cites a number of important Church leaders who were willing to give public witness to their repudiation of anti-Semitism, both racial and theological, I think more needs to be explored in this area."

(03-19-98) [[In-content Ad]]