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Catholic Controversy

Scrt6er Patrick 11)es6ois

Papal acceptance of Holocaust
denier sparks anger.

110LOCA1ST I31 BULLETS:

A PRIEST'S JOURNEY TO UNCOVER
THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MURDER
Or 1.5 MILLION JEWS

Before the gas chambers and the crematoria, the
Nazis' preferred method of murder was rounding up
and shooting large numbers of Jews, then leaving
their bodies in mass, unmarked graves. At least 2,000
such sites are scattered throughout Ukraine.
Most were completely forgotten and likely would have
remained so if not for Father Patrick Desbois. Come
hear the fascinating story of Father Desbois' journey
to discover and memorialize these forgotten victims.

Pope Benedict XVI is shown last April at the Park East Synagogue in

New York City.

Ben Harris
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

New York

I

n an echo of the 2007 controversy
over the Latin Mass, Jewish inter-
faith leaders again are expressing
concern that a Vatican action aimed
at promoting unity within the church
may have adverse effects on Catholic-
Jewish relations.
Pope Benedict XVI two weeks ago
revoked an excommunication order
against four bishops, followers of
a Catholic faction that rejects the
Second Vatican Council. That meeting
had introduced reforms paving the
way for improved relations with the
Jewish people.
The pope's move is seen as an
attempt to bring the bishops back into
the Catholic fold, a development that
would still be conditioned on their
acceptance of the authority of church
teachings.
Among the four is the British-born
Bishop Richard Williamson, who in
an interview with Swedish television
aired just days before the papal ruling
and the Jan. 27 International Day of
Remembrance of the Holocaust, again
doubted the accuracy of the accepted
history of the Holocaust.
"I believe that the historical evi-
dence is hugely against 6 million Jews

having been deliberately gassed in
gas chambers as a deliberate policy of
Adolf Hitler," Williamson said.
Williamson clarified by saying
that according to the best research
he's seen, 200,000 to 300,000 Jews
may have died in Nazi concentration
camps, and none in gas chambers.
The pope's move prompted the
Israeli Chief Rabbinate to break its
ties with the Vatican and suspended
an annual interfaith meeting with
Catholic leaders scheduled for March
in Jerusalem.
A flurry of concerned statements has
poured forth from Jewish organizations,
including the Anti-Defamation League,
the American Jewish Committee,
B'nai B'rith International and the
International Jewish Commission on
Interreligious Consultations, or IJCIC,
the Jewish community's main body for
interfaith dialogue. The U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum also weighed in
against the move.
In their statements, the Jewish
groups have generally acknowledged
that the status of the bishops, mem-
bers of the Society of St. Pius X, is
essentially an internal Catholic matter.
Their criticisms have focused mainly
on Williamson and his comments
about the Holocaust.
B'nai B'rith insisted that it "does

Catholic on page A32

Tuesday, February 24, 2009
7:30 p.m.
Dessert reception, book sale

and signing following program.

Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 W. Maple Road • West Bloomfield, MI

Advance registration and payment requested by

Thursday, February 19.

To charge by phone, please call 248.432.5692
Center members: $8 • Non-members: $10
All tickets at the door: $15

EVENT CO-SPONSORS:

American Jewish Committee
Jewish Community Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit
WISDOM

SAJE is made possible, in part, thanks to the generous support of
Sophie Pearistein and Sydelle & Sheldon z'l Sonkin through
the Center's Pillars of Light program.

SAJE is endowed by a generous gift from Cis Maisel Kellman.

For questions or more information about this event, please contact
Adina Pergament, director of SAJE, at 248.432.5470 or
apergament@jccdet.org .

SAJE (Seminars for Adult Jewish Enrichment) is a program of the Jewish
Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit that provides exceptional year-round,
community-wide learning opportunities that connect people to Judaism.

443

S

PIA._
THE CENTER

+

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`

The 57th
Annual
Jewish
Book Fair

The Beet Books on Earth. Literally.

qp

Jewish
Federation

The Chrysler Foundation

ALLIAW:F. FOR
JEWISH EDUCATION

Hotel Baronette

Jeep.

ROMAN CATHOLIC
ARCHDIOCESE OF DETROIT

1481940

February 12 • 2009

A31