Cardinal Sean O'Malley to address Jewish community
By Shayndi Raice
The Jewish Advocate
Anti-Defamation Leauge is planning to bring the Catholic leader to Newton
For the first time since his appointment as archbishop in 2003, the newly elevated Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley will address the Jewish community of Greater Boston on May 10. After O'Malley was elevated to cardinal last week by Pope Benedict XVI, the Anti-Defamation League's New England region announced the upcoming address, which will be part of a cleebration of the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate.
"With a new leader it's very important we give him the chance to address the Jewish community and that we got to know each other," said Andrew Tarsy, director of the ADL.
While this will be O'Malley's first time addressing the jewish community since his apointment as archbishop, Tarsy said that the ADL has been planning the address before the announcement of the elevation of O'Malley's position to cardinal.
"The Catholic-Jewish relationship is very important for the Jewish community everywhere and certainly in Boston it's always been a very important relationship," explained Tarsy.
The March event, which will be held at the Jewish Community Center in Newton, was being planned, not only to allow O'Malley to address the jewish community but also as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, in which the Catholic Church held at the Second Vatican Council that Jews were not responsible for the death of Christ.
"It was the Christian doctrine of contempt and decide that led to the status in the world of Jewish people as villains in the eyes of many Christians and the results were catastrophic throughout the centuries for Jews," said Tarsy, explaining the decision to celebrate Nostra Aetate. "This is the watershed in the history of inter-religious relations."
The event will be open to both the Catholic and Jewish communities and is being co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council, the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston.
Harold W. Schwartz, a past chair of the ADL went on a mission to Rome and Jerusalem in 1999 with the ADL and Cardinal Bernard Law and in light of that trip, said that he is looking forward to Cardinal O'Malley's address. "We would love to start a relationship with Cardinal O'Malley to have a better understanding between the Catholic faith and the Jewish people," said Schwartz. "When it starts from the top it's a lot easier to do that and we are going to take whatever steps we can to begin that process."
