Prelates. Urge Denial of Aim to Convert Jews in New Draft

entity but with a word of infamy
(Continued from Page 8)
have a great effect and would help and execration which was invented
to eliminate prejudice and anti- by Christians and used to blame
and persecute Jews. For so many
Jewish positions.
Two United States Bishops, con- centuries—and even in our own
tinuing the debate in the Ecu- time—Christians have hurled this
menical Council on Catholic re- word against Jews and, because of
lations with the Jews, insisted it, they have justified every kind
Tuesday on a declaration rejecting of horrible excess, and even their
completely any blame on the Jews slaughter and destruction."
Bishop Leven warned: "It is not
—past and present—for the cruci-
fixion of Jesus and eliminating up to us to make declarations
about
something philosophical, but
any reference which Jews could
interpret as a bid for conversion. to reprobate and damn a word
which has -furnished so many oc-
A vote on the issue is not
casions of persecution through the
expected for several weeks.
centuries. We must," he deClared,
The American prelates were "tear this word out of the Chris-
Archbishop Patrick 0. Boyle of tian vocabulary so that it may
Washington, D.C., and Auxiliary never again be used against Jews."
Bishop Stephen A. Leven of San
As his second amendment, he
Antonio, Tex. They were backed proposed an addition to the draft
' by Archbishop Franjo Seper of of a sentence to read: "Not all the
Zagreb, Yugoslavia, a member of Jews of the time of Christ are to
the Secretariat for the Promotion be blamed for his death." He as-
of Christian Unity, in debate in serted "it is obvious that many of
which 20 of the Council's 2,500 the Jews in Christ's time, especial-
prelates took part
ly outside the Holy Land, had
Council debates are closed to never heard of Him. It is as
the press. The discussions absurd to accuse all the Jews of
were reported again by a Press that time of His death as it would
panel sponsored by the AMerican be to blame all the Romans of that
bishops. The panel said the dis- time for His death because the
eussions today showed once more Roman, Pilate, delivered Him up,
a remarkable consensus of support and Roman soldiers nailed Him to
for changes in the draft declara- the cross."
tion to end sharp criticism of the
The third amendment, offered
second version, now before the in his 'own name, Bishop Leven
Couricil's third session.
I said, was that there be added an
The first version, prepared by expression of the Christian hope
Augustin Cardinal Bea, president that all men and every race and
of the Secretariat, specifically ab- people, Jews and Gentiles, "will
solved all Jews, those of Christ's be gathered together in God, in
time and of later times through the celestial future."
the present, from the ancient
Archbishop Seper took up the
charge of deicide. The revised
issue of fears of.opponxents of a
version refers only to Jews of 1 stronger draft, stemming from
the present. leaving an implication
concern over projected conse-
of blame against all prior genera-
quences in Moslem countries
tions of Jews. It also contains a
where Catholics reside. He in-
reference to the traditional Chris-
sisted such fears were unfound-
tian hope of - reunion" of Jews
ed because "our declaration is
with Christianity, which has been
purely theological and not poli-
widely interpreted by Jews as a
tical."
bid for conversion.
"Our reasons for proposing it,"
Archbishop O'Boyle urged
he continued, are serious and,
amendments so that "the text
impelling because of the links be-
will be clear to Jews, who other-
tween Catholicism and the Jews in
wise might misunderstand it."
our common Holy Scriptures, in
Be added that "the spirit of the
liturgy. The third reason is the
text will be carefully studied
persecutions of Jews. old and re-
by them, and their rightful
cent. Innocents have been put to
sensitivity must be taken into
death, atrocious things were done
full consideration."
—how could we disinterest our-
"Any even remote suggestion of selves in a people so strongly link-
conversion, - the American pre- ed with God?"
late warned his colleagues, "will
In addition, he said it was a
recall the sufferings of the past fact that persecutions of Jews had
and the forced conversions im- been "explained" by Catholic -rea
posed on them. Therefore our dia- sons," and the Scriptures have
logue with them will be gratuitous been used to accuse Jews. This is
without that purpose. They are the reason to make this declara-
right in opposing any prosely- tion and to finish such abuses once
tism." .
and for all, he insisted.
He asked that the version be-
In proposing changes in the new
fore the Council have its earlier version, Archbishop Seper urged
wording restored to exclude from additions to e4hasize what Jews
the deicide charge Jews of all and Catholics had in common—the
time. He also went beyond simi- Scriptures, the history of salvation
lar statements made Thursday in until Jesus, the belief in Messiah
the debate. in asking for expres-1 and the "blood relationship" with
sion of "an act of contrition" for Jesus, which was understood as a
present and past sins against the I clear rebuke to Hitler's racist the-
Jews.
ories.
Bishop Leven offered three
Archbishop Seper also went well
amendments, the first two in the
beyond earlier requests for
name of nearly all of the Ameri-
changes and additions, by propos-
can bishops and the third in his
ing that the Secretariat for Christ-
own name. . First, he said, the
ian Unity issue a "guidebook" on
sentence in the original version
Catholic-Jewish relations, and that
that Jews must never be called the Secretariat should continue to
a "deicide people" should be re- treat Jewish problems in the fut-
stored to the present version.
ure by creating a special section
The Texan noted that, among for that objective.
the arguments for dropping the
Another proposal that the
term "deicide" from the draft was
Council ask pardon for "all that
that the Word was philosophically the Jews had to suffer through
and theolcigically "absurd-and con-
the centuries" was offered by
tradictory" and therefore not
Archbishop Elchinger of Strass
worthy" of inclusion in a Council
document.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
"But," he declared, "we are not
Friday, October 2, 1964-9
dealing with some philosophical

bourg, France. He said • that the was necessary because of the Jew-
Jews of today were "great ish-Arab situation in the Mid East.
number living and authentic wit-
Coptic Church in Egypt
nesses to the Sacred Scriptures" Opposes Vatican Step to
by their intensive studies of the
Absolve Jews of Decicide
Holy Writ.
LONDON (JTA) — The Coptic
"They are- the pilgrims of the Church of Egypt charged that the
absolute," he exclaimed. "They proposed declaration on Catholic-
have an extreme sensitivity of Jewish relations, being debated by
God's transcendency. Their auth- the Ecumenical Council, is moti-
entic virtue is their great esteem vated by "purely political" con-
for the Decalogue. Their family siderations according to a Cairo
life is imprinted by Biblical in- dispatch received here today. The
fluence. Therefore," he asserted, church's official organ called spe-
"Jewish believers are privileged cifically on the Council at the Vati-
partners" with Christians "in de- can to wvoid adoption of any dec-
fense of eternal God in the face laration that would absolve the
of atheistic attack." •
Jews of deicide.
The time has come, the French
Belgian Catholics Issue Denial'
prelate asserted, to change the
"teaching of contempt" for the About Draft for Conversions

ISRAEL HOUSING COSTS .
Total investment in Israel dur-
ing last year amounted to 2,100 ;-
000,000 Israel pounds ($700,000,-
000), about one third of which
went for housing construction.

(Dirt eo ctnMe Teletype Wire
Jews to "an education of respect."
News)
lr
He proposed also that the text on
ANTWERF7 — Another Catholic 1.1ound Trip New York to Tel-Aviv4t
the Jews be treated as a separate denial that the revised draft dec- *by Jet-Air, costs .. .. $535.t
10-day escorted all inclusive tour"'
document, while all other non- laration before the Ecumenical *A
*of Israel and a 12-day all inclusive,.
Catholic religions be treated in a Council was intended to invite *tour of Spain, costs $799. Otheric i
country may be selected in place of
third declaration mentioning Mos- conversion by Jews was published _I-
*Spain.
*
lems and other monotheistic re- here Wednesday.
*
:
*HADASSAH
organized
a
Tour
of*
ligions.
The denial was contained in a
*ISRAEL including many cities in*
message
from:
Cardinal
Suenens,
"Jews are waiting for the right
*Europe, to sail in the SS Shalom,*
*on October 9, returning , by air Nov.*_.
word" from the Council, he added. primate of Belgium to the Flemish- *8,
to New York, casting $11115.40. 1.
Jewish
newspaper
of
Antwerp,
the
"What is at stake now is whether
4c
NEW YORK WORLD'S. FAIR
the door opened by John XXIII," Belgian Israelitisch Weekblad, on *
*has
pavillions of 120 exhibits by that:
Pope Paul's predecessor who or- the occasion of the newspaper's . *many foreign nations, which cer-
*tainly is worthwhile to visit.
:
ganized the present Ecumenical tenth anniversary.
*Stopping off at the famous Waldorf
Council, "will be open or closed
The revised draft contains a *Astoria Hotel in New York 3 nights*
for a long time to come."
statement of the traditional Chris- *and 4-days, cost $59.50, or $57.50, or:
includes 2 admission ticicets
Earlier, Spanish Cardinal Jose , tian hope for "reunion" of Jews *$74.50
_to the Fair, ticket to Broadway Hit*
Maria Buenoy Monreal of Seville, with Christianity which has been I-Show, includes 2 admissions to the*
Chicken Dinner at famous*
contended that no mention of the widely interpreted by Jews as con- "rFair—or
Latin Quarters or after-theater sup-$c
word "decide" was needed in the stituting a bid for conversion.
* per at the Hawaiian Room. More-K
declaration because "no one really
Discussing the work of the third * choices' than stated here available,*
: or multi-choice features costing:
holds that view today." He sup- session of the council now meeting - $129 or Standard $99.
ported the declaration in general, ! in Rome, the Cardinal said that * Hirschfeld Tourist & Travel Ag. :
Since 1905 in Detroit
a,
but added that the Council must the time had come for a "loyal *
2011 Park Ave.
.iii
make clear that the draft had no dialogue" between Christians and * Office-Room 811 • Cor. Adams *
political connotation. He said this Jews. He emphasized that this

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"does not at all mean a hidden in-
tention to bring Jews by conversion
to Catholicism." He added that
"faith exists only if it is a free
personal decision on what one
thinks is true."
He expressed the hope that front
now on "we all—Jews and Chris-.
tians—will be able to say in all
sincerity 'see how good it is, how
sweet it is to live like brothers all
together,'" a citation from the
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