The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, deeply appreciates the extraordinary life and courageous witness of Pope John Paul II to promote interreligious understanding and peace. A visionary leader, a deeply pious Christian, a profound philosopher, and an inspiration to all, John Paul II was a great bridge-builder, in service to Christians, Jews, and all humanity. On April 2, 2005, Pope John Paul II died and we mourn his passing with prayer and undeniable sadness, but also with deepest gratitude for the gifts God bestowed upon us through this incomparable man of wisdom and integrity.

During the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church set its sights on a renewed relationship with the world's religions, especially the Jewish people. The 1965 document, Nostra Aetate, affirmed the shared spiritual patrimony between Christians and Jews and acknowledged the ongoing validity of the covenantal relationship between the Jewish people and the God of Israel. This and subsequent documents have paved the way for dialogue with the Jewish people and began a new age in the history of the human family. In 1978, a Polish cardinal named Karol Wojtyla, a man who grew up among many close Jewish friends and who witnessed firsthand their sorrows wreaked by Nazism in the Shoah, was elected to the papacy. He took the name John Paul II, and for twenty-six years as spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church he worked tirelessly and joyfully to bring the hopeful message of Nostra Aetate to the world.

Pope John Paul II will be remembered as among the greatest spiritual leaders of our time. Though his contributions are many and diverse, his passing calls the CCJU to specific mindfulness of his achievements in the healing and advancement of relations between Christians and Jews. On several occasions when we met with the pope, we appreciated his warm encouragement for our work and for his efforts to promote Christian-Jewish Understanding in the world. We share his vision, and our work is grounded in the principles he tirelessly upheld. It is our privilege to remember him as a friend and brother. Although he is gone, his message will not be lost.

As a public figure, Pope John Paul II never passed over an opportunity to visibly express his love for the Jewish people. In 1986, he became the first pope in more than nineteen centuries to visit the Jewish community of Rome at its place of worship. The unprecedented visit to the Synagogue of Rome was an unmistakable act of good will, bespeaking the willingness of the Catholic Church to usher the message of Nostra Aetate from ideals into reality.

On numerous occasions during his Pontificate, the pope recalled with a sense of deep sorrow the sufferings of the Jewish people during the Second World War. The crime which has become known as the Shoah remains an indelible stain on history. The pope understood that the Jewish community is still raw from the wounds of the Shoah and in 1998, he commissioned the statement, We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah, which encouraged Christians to purify their hearts and heal the wounds of past misunderstandings and injustices to shape a future of hope.

In 2000, the pope implored the Catholic Church to collectively repent and ask God's forgiveness for the past and present faults of its sons and daughters, especially the atrocities against the People of Israel, events that still cause pain in the Jewish historical memory. In calling the Church to an examination of conscience, John Paul affirmed the validity of this pain, and extended an unprecedented gesture of reconciliation and friendship. It is difficult for religions to admit failures and to correct inherited traditions, but we believe that such prophetic self-criticism is the mark of a great person and great religions.

Also in a 2000 pilgrimage to Israel, Pope John Paul II went to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. These actions and countless others make up a corpus of courageous public witness to the Church's mandate to reach out to the Jewish people.

Our time is one marked by extraordinary achievements in the history of religion. Pope John Paul II has taught that Christianity must relate to Judaism as valid, understood on its own terms, spoken for by self-affirming, independent spokesmen, and treated as an equal in every way. Although he is gone, his efforts to promote dialogue, understanding and reconciliation will not be forgotten. His life and message will be a sign and promise of peace for Christians and Jews and all humanity for years to come.

Remembering a Pilgrimage of Peace
On Saturday, March 25, 2000, a group from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, led by President Anthony J. Cernera and Rabbi Joseph H. Ehrenkranz, executive director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart joined Pope John Paul II for his visit to the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. The pope's visit coincided with the Roman Catholic Church's worldwide Feast of the Annunciation. On this day, Christians commemorate the Angel Gabriel's announcement of the good news to a young Jewish woman, Mary, that she would conceive and bear a son, Jesus. By making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land this Jubilee Year, the pope hoped that his presence would also be an announcement of good news, reconciliation and peace.

On his way into the church, the pope stopped to view a forest where thousands of trees are being planted to create a lasting tribute to his efforts to establish greater understanding between religious faiths. The Papal Forest, as it is known, overlooks the Church of the Annunciation and borders Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities. Rabbi Ehrenkranz said, “It was imperative that we were there. It is the work of the Center to support such people as Pope John Paul II, who work for peace. We especially had to stand with the pope at the Papal Forest in Nazareth to commemorate his efforts and the common ground we share in trying to bring people together. This pope has made an extraordinary contribution to Christian-Jewish relations throughout his pontificate.”

Dr. Cernera agreed, “The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University continues to play a critical role in fostering dialogue and greater understanding between religious faiths. As a university founded during the Second Vatican Council, whose teachings encouraged interreligious dialogue and cooperation, Sacred Heart University has a special role to play in this process.”

In contrast to 1964, when Pope Paul VI came for a one-day visit in January to a divided Jerusalem under Jordanian control, Pope John Paul II's pilgrimage to the Holy Land from March 20-26 was marked by several notable events. Despite the potential political pitfalls, physical limitations and discouraging counsel from his advisors, the pontiff was resolute in his conviction that he would make this pilgrimage of faith.

Pope John Paul II spoke at a meeting on March 24, which was co-sponsored by Sacred Heart University where he addressed a gathering of Jews, Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem at the Notre Dame Pontifical Institute. At that meeting he said that Jerusalem was a holy city and was the most appropriate place for leaders of the three monotheistic religions that share Abraham as their common father in faith to enter into authentic dialogue. He later said, “In spite of its many difficulties, Jerusalem is called to become the symbol of peace among those believers in the God of Abraham who put themselves under His law.”

Dr. Cernera said, “Jerusalem was alive and palpable. Everyone knew that he or she was part of a very special event. The taxi drivers and shop owners were buzzing with hope and excitement. In Jerusalem, there is an amazing mix of progress and hope tempered with continued challenges and animosities. Psalm 122 took on profound meaning, ‘I rejoiced when I heard them say, let us go to the house of the Lord! And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!'”

 Western Wall
As part of his pilgrimage, Pope John Paul II went to pray at the Western Wall, all that remains of the temple Herod had built, which was destroyed by the Roman army in 70 CE. A trembling, but fearless hand touched the Western Wall and the pope placed a prayer in the stones that read, “God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your name to the nations. We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who, in the course of history, have caused these children of yours to suffer.”

Dr. David Coppola, associate executive director of the CCJU, said, “Although most people probably see the Western Wall as a Jewish site, the pope visited what he believed is a most important historical touchstone for Christianity, as well. By extending his hand and placing a prayer in the wall, he reached beyond the centuries to the roots of Christianity, which is Judaism, offering his hand in friendship to the Jewish people of the past and present.” Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See, Aharon López, said, “By following the Jewish tradition, he won the hearts of Israelis.”

Yad Vashem
The Pope also visited the Holocaust Memorial at Yad Vashem and was burdened with grief. He said that it was essential to remember and take responsibility for the past, and he asked Jews, Christians, and all people of good will to oppose evil in the future and to walk the path of peace. Leaning on his staff and shuffling along, the aged pope stopped and stood solidly alone before the large slab of black granite inscribed with the names of victims of the Nazi death camps. He said, “As Bishop of Rome and successor of the Apostle Peter, I assure the Jewish people that the Catholic Church, motivated by the Gospel law of truth and love and by no political considerations, is deeply saddened by the hatreds, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place.”  

Israeli Prime Minister Eliud Barak said, “Your coming here today, to the Tent of Remembrance at Yad Vashem, is the climax of this historic journey of healing. This very moment holds within it 2,000 years of history.”  

Portions of this story were printed before in the 2000 CCJU Perspective, Volume VII, 1.

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