Center Reaffirms Mission of Countering Antisemitism, Fostering Catholic-Jewish Relations by Promoting Holocaust Education

Dear Friends,

            As the Seton Hill University administrator responsible for the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, I am writing to inform you of the statement issued by the NCCHE in consultation with Rev. John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, NCCHE Advisory Board chair, and the Advisory Board Steering Committee.  The statement focuses on the recent controversy that developed concerning Pope Benedict XVI and the remission of the excommunication of four bishops of the Society of St. Pius X, ordained by the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. 

            In a letter to the Catholic Bishops Pope Benedict speaks candidly of what occurred.  In his words, “the unforeseen mishap for me was the fact that the Williamson case came on top of the remission of excommunication” (Letter to Catholic Bishops on the Remission of the Excommunication of the Four Bishops Consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre, March 10, 2009, CCJR.US/Dialogika-Resources). What is now common information is that one of the four bishops, British Richard Williamson was a Holocaust denier, confirmed by an interview that was broadcast on the same day as the lifting of the excommunication. So what Pope Benedict had intended as a “discreet gesture of mercy . . . appeared as something completely different: as the repudiation of reconciliation between Christians and Jews taken since the Council—steps which my own work as a theologian had sought from the beginning to take part in and support” (Letter). 

            On March 12, 2009, in a speech to the delegation of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel who was accompanied by members of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, Pope Benedict reaffirmed his strong commitment to dialogue based on mutual understanding and respect, recognized the rich common spiritual patrimony, and made explicit reference to the document Nostra Aetate (Speech of Pope Benedict XVI, March 12, 2009, CCJR.US/Dialogika-Resources).  In May Pope Benedict will “visit the Holy Land as a pilgrim” with the hope to “deepen the dialogue of the Church with the Jewish people so that Jews and Christians and also Muslims may live in peace and harmony in this Holy Land” (Speech).

 

Sincerely,

Sister Lois Sculco

Seton Hill University

Greensburg, Pennsylvania

 

NCCHE Statement

            Seton Hill University’s National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, as a member of the Council of Centers for Jewish-Christian Relations (CCJR), endorsed the letter issued by the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on January 29, 2009 concerning the controversy over the lifting of the excommunications of four Society of St. Pius X bishops.  Of primary concern were the statements of one of these bishops, Richard Williamson, who in a televised interview on January 21, 2009, expressed denial of the Holocaust.

            There was also a deep concern regarding members of the Society of St. Pius X who have opposed the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.  This would include Nostra Aetate, the document which repudiated the deicide charge, deplored anti-Semitism, acknowledged the ongoing validity of the covenant with the Jewish people, and called for improved Catholic-Jewish relations.  If anything, this current crisis demonstrated a critical need for Holocaust education within Catholic institutions, as well as the need for more intensive work in Catholic-Jewish relations.

            The work of our Center continues to be of special importance for us as dedicated Catholic educators, not only in our academic environment, but also for the Church in the world of Catholic-Jewish relations.  We remain unequivocally committed to our Mission to counter antisemitism and to foster Catholic-Jewish relations by promoting Holocaust education in Catholic colleges and universities.  We join Pope Benedict in our commitment to “the vision set out for coming generations in the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra Aetate.” (Speech, March 12, 2009)

            Seton Hill University, through the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, recommits itself to its Mission of Holocaust education.