Pope John Paul II: A Jewish Appreciation
Sermon, April 8, 2005
Rabbi Bruce Kadden

I am sure that many of you have been following the coverage of the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II and have seen and read many of the accounts of his life.  To witness the throngs of people who descended upon Rome to pay tribute to the Pontiff has been quite moving, as it becomes clear the incredible impact he has made on the Catholic Church and on the world.

This evening I want to reflect on what his papacy has meant for Judaism and for Jewish Catholic relations.  Over the last 26 years, we have witnessed many dramatic acts, from visiting of the synagogue in Rome to formal recognition by the Vatican of the state of Israel.  At the same time, a number of acts and statements have provoked reactions ranging from disappointment to outrage among Jewish leaders.

John Paul II’s relationship to Jews and Judaism began long before he became Pope.  Much attention has been given to his lifelong friendship with Jerzy Kluger, who grew up with Karol Wojtyla, as he was then known, in Wadowise, Poland and settled in Rome after the Holocaust.  A book about their relationship entitled, “Letter to a Jewish Friend:  The Simple and Extraordinary Story of Pope John Paul II and His Jewish School Friend” attested to the influence that this relationship had upon the Pope and his attitude toward Judaism. 

Another story, which ran in this week’s New York Times, tells how, as a seminary student, Karol Wojtyla helped save the life of Edith Zierer.  At the age of 13, she emerged, alone, from a Nazi labor camp in January, 1945.  She wanted to return to her home in Krakow, hoping to be reunited with her family, but only got so far as a small village called Jedrzejow.  She sat huddled in the corner of the train station, weak and cold, still wearing her prisoner’s uniform. 

She likely would have died there, had not a young man in a long robe approach her, and after hearing her story, provide her with food and hot drink, carry her to another village and accompany her in a cattle car of a train bound for Krakow.  This story reflects the humanity of the man who would become Pope, a humanity that was often reflected in his papacy.

One of John Paul II’s first public acts with regard to Judaism occurred during his first visit to his homeland of Poland as Pope, when he visited Auschwitz, the first pope ever to visit a Nazi death camp.  A number of years later, Auschwitz would be the scene of controversy regarding the establishment of a convent and placing of crosses by an order of nuns, actions that were strongly protested by Jews as insensitive.  Although it took some time, the Pope was eventually able to help broker a settlement to this issue.

The Holocaust and anti-Semitism remained primary concerns of the Pope.  One of the central themes of the Catholic Church’s celebration of the Jubilee year in 2000 was the call to repentance for anti-Semitic words and deeds and clear denunciation of any form of anti-Semitism as unacceptable.  “Anti-Semitism is a sin against God and Man,” he was proclaimed.

Perhaps the most important tangible development in this regard, was the issuing in 1998 of “We Remember,” the Church’s long-awaited document on the Holocaust.  While this statement has rightly been considered the most important document on Catholic-Jewish relations since Nostra Aetate of Vatican II, it was also the subject of much disappointment and outrage.  The disappointment focused on the failure of the document to forthrightly confront the role of Christianity and particularly the Catholic Church in the promulgation of antisemitism throughout history.  And the outrage resulted from the document’s failure to confront Pope Pius XII’s record during the Holocaust.  Yet, as inadequate as the document may have been in the eyes of many Jewish leaders, its very issuance, after years of preparation, indicated that the Church was willing to publicly deal with the Holocaust, a development that can only be attributed to Pope John Paul II and his interest in this matter.

The other area of significant development in Jewish-Catholic relations concerned the Vatican’s official recognition of the state of Israel. The Vatican’s failure to recognize Israel has been attributed to both theological and practical matters. 

From a practical perspective, Israel was the home to a small but significant number of Christian Arabs, including both Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians.  Recognition of Israel, it was feared, would jeopardize these communities, particularly their relationship with Moslem Arabs.

And from a theological perspective, the existence of a strong, vibrant Jewish state called into question the traditional Christian theological view of salvation (although many fundamentalist Christians have been able to fit its existence into their end-times theology).

Nevertheless, these concerns were overcome, in no small part because of Pope John Paul II’s recognition that in order for the Church to develop a good relationship with Judaism it had to come to terms with Israel and its importance to the Jewish people.  And a few years after official recognition, the Pope visited Israel, laying a wreath at Yad Vashem and praying and placing a note in the Western Wall, symbolic gestures that were well-received and clearly reflected the Pope’s commitment to put words into action.

There were also other symbolic moments during John Paul’s papacy, including his historic visit to the synagogue in Rome, where he insisted that he be seated on the same level as the Chief Rabbi, although normal protocol was for him to sit higher. 

But there were also times of controversy and disagreement, such as when the Pope met with Kurt Waldheim, despite his role in support of the Nazis in Austria during the Holocaust, and when he met with Yassar Arafat despite his clear link to terrorism.

More recently, the canonization of Edith Stein, a Jewish convert to Christianity who became a nun and died in Auschwitz, was strongly criticized by some Jewish leaders who saw it as an attempt to “Christianize” the Holocaust, as well as to highlight the superiority of Christianity to Judaism.  The beatification of Pope Pius XII also angered many Jews because of his failure to do more during the Holocaust.

While these incidents should not be ignored, neither should they obscure the great accomplishments of this Pope in the area of Jewish-Catholic relations.  He took to heart the teachings of Vatican II and, by his words and actions served to change how the Church views the Holocaust, Israel and the Jewish people.  While the official Vatican statements often left much to be desired, they marked important steps in coming to terms with Judaism and Israel.

We can only hope and pray that his successor continue to build on the foundation that Pope John Paul II has established to create understanding and trust between the Jewish and Catholic communities, to speak out against anti-Semitism and to promote positive relationships between our communities.

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