Signifficant international interreligious homage to Aristides de Sousa Mendes

Due to the 50 anniversary of the Portuguese diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes’ death, who saved thousands of people, mostly Jews, persecuted by Nazism, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation has launched a call to religious leaders of all confessions to celebrate commemorative services in memory of Consul Sousa Mendes in their own congregations. The IRWF initiative has found a wide support in the world, and many messages of adhesion from priests, rabbies and pastors have been received. The religious services took place on June 17 in churches and synagogues of more than 30 countries. Tens of religious, cultural and educational activities took place in the five continents. Among many other countries that joined the remembrance were France, the United States, the Vatican, China and Israel. In New York took place a mass dedicated to Sousa Mendes. The religious ceremony was held in the church of Our Lady of Fatima, in Yonkers and was in charge of Monsignor Celestino Migliore, Vatican Representative to the UN. Among the many people present that fully occupied the temple were Goncalo de Santa Clara Gomes, Portugal Ambassador to the UN, Alexandre Manuel Galvao Mexia de Almeida Fernandes, General Consul of Portugal to New York, Sheila Abranches and Aristides Mendes, Sousa Mendes’ relatives and tens of representatives of the Portuguese community in New York, in traditional clothing. At the end of the service took place a reception in which Mrs. Abigail Tenembaum, vice-president of the Wallenberg Foundation, presented the Sousa Mendes award to John Crisostomo, distinguished Portuguese activist dedicated to promote the life and dee! ds of the Portuguese savior. In Rome, on the other hand, a mass was celebrated in the Basilica of Saint Mary in Trastevere. The ceremony was in charge of Cardinal Renato Martino, President of the Peace and Justice Commission of the Vatican. In the course of the prayers, Cardinal Martino included an invocation for the peaceful coexistence among people and communities of different beliefs, races and religions, as well as a word against anti-Semitism and racial discrimination. Before the end of the ceremony, the special envoy of the IRWF, Rabbi Ablin, was invited by the high Vatican prelate to address the audience. During his message, Ablin informed of the decision of granting the Sousa Mendes award to Cardinal Martino, who expressed his satisfaction by standing up due to people’s applause. In Bordeaux, the city in which Sousa Mendes carried out his rescue deed, the ”Sousa Mendes 50 anniversary Medal” was presented to Father Bernard Jacques Riviere, due to his long and successful dedication to promote the deed of the former Portuguese consul. The Wallenberg Foundation received thousands of adhesions to the unprecedented initiative. It is worth mentioning those belonging to the Prime Minister of Portugal, H.E. Jose Manuel Durao Barroso; the US congressman, Toma Lantos; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Elie Wiesel; Mayor of Yonkers, Phil Amicone and Raoul Wallenberg’s niece, Louis von Dardel, among other international personalities.

Sir Sigmund Sternberg Award

The Department of Compared Religions of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Interreligious Coordination Council of Israel sponsored the presentation of the Sir Sigmund Sternberg Award for interreligious dialogue. In the ceremony that took place on June 10, the researcher Yosi Klein Ha-Lei, from the Shalem Institute, spoke about the subject ”Judaism, Christianity and Islam”.

Papal condemnation to antisemitism

Last May 10, a solemn service was held in the central synagogue of Rome due to the 100 anniversary of that house of prayers. During the occasion, the General Vicar of Rome, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, read a message belonging to Pope John Paul II, in which it is stated that the Catholic Church rejects anti-Semitism in all its expressions clearly and definitely. The message points out that ”it is not enough to condemn the hostility against the Jewish People but it is also necessary to strengthen friendship, esteem and fraternal relation”.

Chief Rabbi of Israel is received by the King of Spain

The Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yona Metzger, was received by King John Charles I of Spain, due to his recent visit to the Iberian Peninsula. Later the Jewish Religious Dignitary had a fraternal meeting with the Primate of the Spanish Church, Monsignor Antonio Canizares.

Symposium at the Tantur Institute

The Tantur Institute for Theological Studies organized between May 23 and 26 an international symposium about the subject ”forgiveness and its dimensions”. The subject was analyzed from the theological perspectives of Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Judaism. The participants of the symposium were: Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Pontific Council to promote Christian unity; Dr. Sarah Coakley from Harvard Divinity School; Dr. Katharyn Johnson from Louisville Presbyterian Seminary; Dr. L. Gregory Jones from Duke University School; Dr. Miroslav Volf from Yale Divinity School and Dr. Gustavo Gutierrez from the University of Notre Dame.

Preparatory symposium for Barcelona

In preparation to the call of Parliament of Religions of the World in the month of July in Barcelona, a preparatory symposium took place in Jerusalem. The event was organized by the Council for the Parliament of Religions of the World in collaboration with the Association for Interreligious Encounter. The Agenda of the meeting was about the different issues to be discussed in Barcelona, with special attention to two aspects: the growing religious violence and the right to have access to clean water. The symposium counted with the participation of the Main Rabbi of Haifa, Shear Yashuv Cohen, the Vatican Nuncio in Israel Pietro Sambi, the Secretary General of the Sufi Council in Holy Land Sheik Abd-E-Sallam Manasra, representative of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Lutheran Bishop and distinguished community leaders.

On June 29, 2004 the site www.msn.com has published in Israel the following information related to the Vatican rescue actions of Jewish refugees during the Second World War.

”The Church states: we have saved too many Jews”

The note entitled ”The Church states: we have saved too many Jews” expresses: ”The Church helped rescue too many Jews during the Second World War”. That is expressed in a letter written by a Bishop in the year 1943, which was published yesterday by the Vatican (6/28/2004). The Bishop complains in his letter about the preferred treatment to the Jewish race. ”The missive was published, in the context of the war fought by the Catholic Church against the accusations that it did not act to stop Nazism and the Jews extermination machine, after the Pope ordered to reveal the sections of the Vatican file that had been kept in secret until now”. ”The letter that has been published by the Vatican Nuncio in Rumania, Andrea Casullo, on July 21, 1943 and was addressed to Cardinal Luiggi Mangilione, at that moment responsible for the Ministry of Foreign Relations in the Vatican. Casullo pointed out in his letter, that diverse circles expressed their dislike for the preferred treatment that the Vatican gives to the Jewish Race, among them a Catholic Bishop named Pacce.” ”The latter expressed, as it is read in the letter, that his German parishioners accuse the Church to treat Jews, enemies of the German People, in a preferred manner. Casullo addressed the Vatican to consult the way in which he should act, though it is not known whether he received an answer or not”. ”Thousands of additional documents have been published by the Vatican with the intention of proving the action of the Church to help families so they could find relatives after the war”.

Negotiations between the Holy See and the State of Israel are reestablished

Delegations of the Vatican and the State of Israel reestablished negotiations for the application of the fundamental agreement that rules its relations. Said agreement, subscribed on December 30, 1993, inaugurated the diplomatic relations between both States. The Vatican delegation presided by Monsignor Gianfranco Galloni, Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature to Israel and the Israeli delegation presided by the diplomat Gadi Golan, considered among other issues, the fiscal statute of the Church, eventual restitution of ecclesiastic properties and State participation in the support of the social activities carried out by the Church for the local population.

Committee of Catholic-Jewish relations meets in Buenos Aires

The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, inaugurated lastJuly 5 the XVIII International Encounter of the Catholic-Jewish relations Committee, where 53 participants dealt with the relations among faiths in the world order.

The importance of the Catholic delegation is marked by the presence of three Cardinals: William Kasper, president of the Pontific Council for Religious Relations with Judaism; Jorge Mejía who presided that commission for a decade since 1977, and William Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore. It also counted with the presence of Monsignor Michael Fitzgerald, President of the Pontific Council for inter religious dialogue.

The Jewish delegation was headed by Rabbi Israel Singer, director of the World Jewish Congress and it was integrated by other three former ambassadors of Israel to the Holy See and distinguished Rabbis of the different tendencies within Judaism.

Presentation of the Paul Carus award

The Paul Carus award, created by the Council of the Parliament of the Religions of the World with the Blouke Carus family, with the aim of distinguishing the contribution to inter religious dialogue, was presented by Bishop Meledo Baker Ochola II and the initiative of religious leaders ocholi for peace in Uganda. The award was granted in the Parliament of Religions of the World that takes place in the context of the 2004 Barcelona Forum.

Religious Award for peace is Created

The International Institute of Education has created the ”Victor J. Goldberg for Peace in the Middle East” award that will be presented annually to two people, a Muslim Arab and an Israeli Jew, who carry out in conjunction a work for peace in the Middle East. For further information log on to: www.iie.org

Inter Religious Theological Publication

The Cristiandad de España Publishing House has recently published the text ”Judeo-Christianity Theology” by Cardinal Jean Danielou. The sources, the intellectual atmosphere and the institutions of the origins of Christian Theology are analyzed in that work. Jean Danielou was ordained Pope Paul VI and was Professor of the Paris Catholic Institute.

Asis Award for Peace to Israel and Palestine

The 2004 Asis award for Peace has been presented by Father Vicenzo Coli, guard of the Basilica of San Francisco, an Israeli educator, Angela Edna Caló Livné, and a Palestine educator, Samar Sahar. Sahar has dedicated her life to work with children and runs the ”Jeel-Al-Amal Home” in Betania, the most important institution to help children in Palestine. Angela Caló Livne lives in a kibutz in the northern Israel and works as a teacher in multicultural schools, having created the ”Rainbow” theater composed by young Jews, Arabs Christians, Muslim Arabs and Druses.

Ansar-El-Suna Muslim Association

The Ansar-El-Suna Muslim Association has founded the Islamic Cultural Center ”The Rachman” in Nazareth. Said Center, including a mosque, gives information for imams, Muslim religion leaders, and offers some courses of Islamic formation for people in general. The Ansar-El-Suna Association works for a moderate and tolerant Islam, and its members participate in different inter religious activities.

Religious coexistence

The Museum of the Lands of the Bible in Jerusalem carries out a project of coexistence among Jewish and Muslim children called ”Abraham’s image”. In that program participate 130 students of the Paula Ben Gurion elementary School and the El-Tzal School of Eastern Jerusalem. The children explore their respective genealogical trees to find the name ”Abraham” or ”Ibrahim” in them, they study the cultures of the Ancient Middle East and track common elements in the Jewish and Muslim religious tradition.

Tribute to Raoul Wallenberg on his 92 birthday

On August 4, a series of tribute ceremonies for the 92th birthday of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat, who saved thousands of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust took place in several cities all over the world. The public ceremonies were sponsored by the IRWF and took place in Nueva York, Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, Santiago de Chile, Miami and Budapest.

Two ceremonies took place in Jerusalem. A tribute in the Wallenberg explanade, Jerusalem forest, took place in the afternoon. Speaches were delivered by Dr. Mario Ablin , IRWF Vicepresident, and Andreu Hajder, Hungarian professor saved by Wallenberg. The ceremony also included a poetic and musical act. That same evening another ceremony took place and was attended by numerous people and several speaches were delivered by the Swedish Ambassador in Israel, His Excellency Mr Robert Rydberg , and the business representative of Hungary, Mr. Csaba Czibere. During the event taped messages delivered by the Chief Rabbi of Israel, H.E Rabbi Yona Metzger and the President of Yad Vashem, Prof. Shevaj Weiss. The ceremony was closed with the performance of musical and poetic exhibitions. The event took place in the Jerusalem Bnei Brith site and organized by the IRWF together with the Reut Movement, the Raoul Wallenberg Honorary Committee and Jerusalem Work Group.

Israeli and Pontifical universities strengthen bonds

The deans of four pontifical universities – Monsignor Remo Fisichella de la Lateranense, Father Franco Imoda de la Gregoriana, Mariano Fazio de la Santa Cruz y Monsignor Giuseppe Cavalloto de la Urbaniana – visited Israel. During their visit they contacted the authorities of the Jerusalem Hebrew University, Tel Aviv and Bar Ilan Universities. The purpose of the visit was to foster greater cooperation between the academic institutions of both countries.

University degree for Interfaith dialogue

”Missioners of the Unity” the Ecumenic Center in Madrid, related with the Oriental and Ecumenic Studies at the Salamanca Pontifical University offers a 100 academic hours course containing an introduction to ecumenic and biblical theology. Said course forms part of the degree named: Expert in ecumenic theology and Interfaith dialogue, studied at the Salamanca University.

Rabbi awarded the British Empire Order

Rabbi David Goldberg belonging to the Liberal Movement (not orthodox), was awarded the British Empire Order from Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to interfaith relations.

Jewish and Moslem leaders from Israel to Sarajevo

Kedem Group (Voices for Religious Reconciliation), patronized by the Israel Interfaith council coordinator, composed by 14 religious leaders (seven rabbies and seven imams), said group participated of an interfaith seminar in Bosnia Herzegovina during the month of July , the purpose of the meeting was to gather religious leaders of different faiths for the shared studies of texts and mutual dialogue.

Interfaith Dialogue course in Colombia

The Theological and Pastoral Institute for Latin America and the Caribbean (ITEPAL), in cooperation with the department for the CELAM common ecclesiastical dialogue has given a course of interfaith and ecumenic dialogue adequate for the challenges and demands of this issue. The course was delivered by theologs from Chile, Panama and Colombia.

Interfaith symposium

The Israel Interfaith Association organized a symposium last July 8 under the title of ”At the entrance of the Eden Garden, a search for G’d in other’s religion”.

The meeting was patronized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation , the writer Yossi Klein Halevi , researcher Mohammad Hourani from the Hartman Institute and Dr. Michael Krupp delivered speaches in the name of the organizing organization.

Catholic Nun live in a Jewish Elder people home

The newspaper The New York Times point out an unusual fact; an elderly Catholic religious woman, the Dominic Mary Rose Thering live in a Third Age home of the Jewish community , The ”Metro West Jewish Center of New York”. The religious, who consecrate all her life to fight against Anti-Semitism, is internee in the medical center of this home.

The secret about Vatican’s document is raised

The Vatican has raised the secret about documents from the World War II period related to the activity of the Holy See in relation to war prisoners. Among these documents there is a letter of the Rumanian Bishop dated in July 21st 1943 where the prelate complaints about the excessive concern of the Vatican about the fate of the Jews. Is possible that the exposed documentation serve for enlighten more completely the attitude of Pope Pius XII in relation to the Nazi regime, that is a controversial subject. In Jewish academic circles is said that Pope Pius XII didn’t pay attention to the Nazi persecution against the Jews, and avoid intervening on behalf of them.

Tendency towards anti-semitism in Hispanic Immigrants

American Jewish leaders express their restlessness respect to a possible outbreak of Anti-Semitic attitude among Hispanic immigrants that recently arrive to USA. A recent poll point out that a 44% of the recent Hispanic immigrants is ”contaminated” with Anti-Semitic attitudes, that they bring from their origin countries. Abraham Fox, Anti-defamation League’s representative, advice that this percentage duplicate the percentage of the Hispanic people that born in USA.

Ecumenism and Interfaith dialogue in Argentina

In occasion of the closure of the International Link Committee between Catholics and Jews, that was celebrated in Buenos Aires in July, was presented the book ”Ecumenism and interfaith dialogue in the third millennium way (2000-2003), printed by New City in collaboration with the ”Episcopal Commission of Ecumenism, relations with Judaism, Islam and religions” of the Argentinean Episcopal Conference.

Interreligious Campaign in South Africa

The Council of Churches of South Africa together with Jewish and Buddhist religious leaders, headed an intereligious campaign on behalf of the victims of the tsunami in south-east Asia. The Great Rabbi Warren Goldstein declared that ”This interreligious initiative is part of the South African dream of union and dissimilarity. This initiative shows the relevance and importance of religion as a central force in South Africa, a profoundly religious country”. An interconfessional delegation presided by the Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ivan Abraham, will travel this month to Sri Lanka and India.

Inauguration of the interreligious institute in Jerusalem

The Interreligious Council of Israel along with the moslem Association El Rafah have created the ”Kedem Institute for Reconciliation”. The inauguration of this new interconfessional setting was celebrated on 30 December. A symposium with the presence of religious leaders of Israel and from abroad was held. Among the it is worth mentioning the Vatican´s Nuncio in Israel, Archbishop Pietro Sambi; professor Marc Gopin from the University George Mason of the USA; the Khadi from Jaffa, Abed El Hakim Samarah and the head of the Greek-Catholic community of Seferam, Father Nadeem Shakour.

Meeting of the Pope with Rabbis from all over the world

Pope John Paul II received 160 rabbis and jewish liturgical singers from Israel, the United States and Europe, in the biggest private audience granted by a Pope to jewish religious leaders. During the event that took place on 18 January, the Pope remembered that ”this year we celebrate the 40th. anniversary of the declaration Nostra Aetate of the II Vatican Council that has contributed enormously in strengthening the Jewish-Catholic dialogue”. The rabbis, members of the foundation ”Pave the Way”, thanked the Pope for ”all his efforts accomplished to reconcile the two religions and demolish the walls of hatred in his 26 years of tenure”. The delegation was integrated by former Great Rabbi of Europe, Samuel Sirat, the president of the counsil of rabbis of New York, Adam Mintz and the Rabbi of the Great Synagogue of Rome, Joseph Arbid, among others.

Jewish, Christian and Moslem Prayers

On 13 January, Jewish, Moslems and Christians shared a common prayer before the tomb of the Prophet Samuel (Nebi Samuel). This meeting was organized by the ”Interterfaith Encounter Association” and the ”Abu Sukkar Center for Peace and Dialogue”. After the prayer, the believers were entertained by the Mukhtar (Dignitary) from the neighbourly arab village. The speakers were Mr.Suliman Al-Kahtib and Doctor Iehuda Stolov, directors of both institutions and sponsors of the meeting.

Interreligious Remembrance for Martin Luther King

On 18 January an interreligious service took place in honour of the memory of Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King, in the Methodist Church of Attleboro. The service was conducted by Rachel Garvin and counted with the attendance of representatives of different religious confessions. The ceremony was closed by the president of the Wherton College, Ronald A.Crutcher, the first afroamerican to occupy this position.

Bicultural and Bireligious Education

On 11 January Israel´s Interreligious Council sponsored a seminary on the thematic ”Bicultural and Bireligious Education”, conducted by arab teachers Amin Khalaf, director of the center ” Hand in Hand”, and Abdelsalaam Najjar, director of the Nevé Shalom-Wahat Al-Salaam Center.

Human lives were saved thanks to his ”christian compassion”

Brazilian diplomat, Luiz Martín de Souza Dantas, who saved hundreds of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, was remembered on the 50th anniversary of his death. The homage was organized by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation together with the General Consulate of Brazil in New York. The brazilian diplomat, inspired by what he himself called ”a christian feeling of piousness”, granted visas to hundreds of Jews and other ” undesirables” persecuted by the Nazi regime. Thanks to Souza Dantas entire families found a safe haven in Brazil. During the ceremony, which took place in the General Consulate of Brazil in New York, the book ”Quixote in the darkness”, written by Brazilian historian Fabio Koifman, was presented.

An interreligious center to be innaugurated

A group of academics and professors of the ”College Nazareth” of Pittford have recently founded the ”Center for Interreligious Studies and Dialogue” to promote academic research and to accumulate information related to the interreligious thematic.The executive director of the Iman Mohammed Shafiq Center announced that the institution is preparing a catalog on themes of social science seen from the perspective of the different religious confessions. The center is also going to initiate a cycle of specialization for teachers of humanistics on the subject of interreligious dialogue.

Meeting of religious women on Mount Tabor

On 30 December the group ”Women’s Interfaith Encounter” from Israel, held an interreligious meeting during which a study session on the thematic of ”feminine leadership”, seen from the point of view of the Islam, Judaism, Christianity and the Drusean religion took place. This meeting was held in a bedouin tent in the drusean village Shibli, at the foot of Mount Tabor.

Translation: María Pensavalle

Price to Rabbi for Interfaith activities

The Jewish Community of Berlin and the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation co-support in past February 25th a ceremony in the course of which was given a price to Rabbi Dr. Nathan Peter Levinson for his extensive and tireless action in pro of the interfaith dialogue. The price was given by the founder of the IRWF, Mr. Baruch Tenembaun. Rabbi Levinson was founder of the Heidelberg Jewish Studies University, for 20 years was co-President of the German Council of Christian-Jewish Cooperation and from 1976 was President of the International Christian-Jewish Council, from which is at present Honorary Vice-president.

Speech held by Rabbi Stein at a celebration to honor the person and work of Rabbi Professor Dr. Nathan Peter Levinson

Raul Soldi : Centennial of his birth

In March 27th is the 100 anniversary of Raul Soldi´s birth, the great Argentinean artist, who throughout his prolific carrier performed a huge and varied pictorial creation in oleo, water color, ink and mono-copy. One of the most important Raul Soldi´s works is the fresco dedicated to the Lujan Virgin in the Annunciation Basilica in Nazareth. From the inauguration of the work were past nearly forty decades, throughout them thousands and thousands of pilgrims have appreciated the Raul Soldi´s creation, with its implicit message of tolerance and dialog spirit.

The association for Interfaith dialog is established in Madrid

On last January 4th was established the Association for the Interfaith Dialog of the Madrid Community in which are presented the different religious communities and the lay movements of the Spanish capital. Among other activities the association schemed to make an encounter on April 8th and 9th about ”Religious freedom and lay state” and another on May 28th against violence.

CCJU Prepares in Rome a symposium in Nostra Aetate Anniversary

The Center for the Christian-Jewish Understanding of the Sacred Heart University in USA prepares a symposium that will take place in the next September in the Gregorian Pontifical University of Rome in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Vatican Declaration Nostra Aetate, historic declaration that refers to the relations between the Catholic Church with the non Christian religions.

First congress of Rabbis and Imans for peace

Between January 3 and 6 took place in Brussels a significant meeting between Jewish and Muslims religious leaders. The event joint more than 250 imans and rabbis for analyze the common roots of the peace ideal between individuals and communities of both religious traditions. The participants, who come from five continents search ways of understanding in the context of the different centers of interfaith tension that affect the different regions of the world.

Jewish-Christian dialog in Florence

Between January 2nd and 16th took place in the San Ignacio community of Florence, Italy, a Jewish-Christian meeting. This annual interfaith meeting takes place since the Episcopal Conference of 1990. In this opportunity the Jewish participants where lead by Rabbi Jose Levy.

Declaration of the German Episcopal Conference

The German Bishops Conference declared that the convalescence and healing process of the atrocities committed by the Nazism continues. The German Episcopate makes this declaration in the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The Catholic dignitaries remembered the victims of the Nazi genocide and advise with regard the emergence of new anti-Semitic tendencies.

Spanish Government assign founds for non-catholic confessions

The Spanish Government have created the ”Pluralism and Convivence” Foundation, whose task is to help the minority religious confessions —Muslim, Jewish and Protestant —with a budgetary contribution directly from the State estimated for the year 2005 in three million Euros. The Foundation, which will have its seat in the Justice Ministry, is established for contributing to the support of cultural, formative and social integration projects. The objective, said the Justice Minister, is ”to promote a major and more equalitarian development of the religious liberty”.

John Paul II : ”Nobody can ignore the Shoa tragedy”

Cardinal Jean Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris, in the capacity of Pope’s envoy, read the past January 27th a message of John Paul II during the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz, Poland, where have participated thirty State Chief. For John Paul II Auschwitz is ”is the tragic fruit of the programmed hatred”, added that ”in those days we have to remember the millions of peoples that without blame endure inhuman suffering and where exterminate in the gas chambers and crematories”.

Christian communities in Galilee

The Israel Interfaith Council organize on March 7th a seminary intended to analyze the future of the Christian communities in Galilee, with the intervention of the Campus Elias President, Professor Raid Mualem and the Director of the Christian Jewish Relationship Center of Jerusalem Mr. Daniel Rosing.

Will be given a price to Nun

The Raoul Wallenberg International Foundation get ready for give a price to the Catholic religious woman Rose Thering in acknowledge to her tireless work for promote the Christian-Jewish understanding. The Sister Rose’s life was told in the documental film ”The Constantine Sword”, based in the James Carroll’s best seller.

Optimism Regarding the Holy See – Israel Relationship

Last february the Holy See-Israel Bilateral Commision resumed its meetings. The issues under negotiations are a tax exemption for ecclesiastical properties and access by the Church to Israeli tribunals. The legal expert of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, Father David Jaeger considered the atmosphere of the bilateral meeting as very positive. In turn the Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See, Oded Ben Hur stressed Israel?s good will and serious intentions of arriving at a positive conclusion of the agreement.

Argentine Congregation Promotes Interreligious Dialogue

The Instituto del Verbo Encarnado (The Incarnated Word Institute) has inaugurated, the Center For Study and Dialogue ”Unus Dominus” in El Cairo, Egypt, to promote interreligious dialogue in the Middle East. The ”Instituto del Verbo Encarnado” is an Argentine religious congregation of Diocese Law founded in 1984.

Arabic Language as an ”Interreligious Bridge”

The Israel Interfaith Association organizes courses for the study of Arabic language with the purpose of thus improving inter-religious relations between Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land. The programme has been created by Elias Falah, a Christian Arab from the town of Sakhnin in the Galilee.

Message of the Great Rabbi of Israel to the Pope

The Israeli Ambassador of Israel to the Vatican went to Gemelli Polyclinic Hospital in Rome, where Pope John Paul II was hospitalized to deliver a message from the Great Rabbi of Israel, Hon. Shlomo Amar to the Pontiff where he expressed his desire of a swift recovery for the Pope.

Interreligious Course in Fundar

The Service towards Ecumenic and Interreligious Dialogue, affiliated to the Argentine Episcopal Commission, organizes the course ”Interreligious Dialogue, Forty Years from the Declaration Nostra Aetate ”, which will be taught from March to July. FUNDAR is a private organization directed by Professor Jose A. Amadeo.

Cardinals Visit Yeshiva University in New York

A group of Cardinals of the Catholic Church, several of them from Asiatic and Latin American countries, recently visited the prestigious New York Orthodox Jewish University. The visitors were received by the Chancellor, Norman Lamm, in spite of protests raised by certain ultra-orthodox student circles.

The Book by the Pope, an ”Interior Biography”

Pope John Paul II’s new book, ”Memory And Identity” is an ”interior biography” according to Joaquin Navarro Valls, spokeman for the Holy See. The book is the result of conversations between Pope John Paul II and the Polish philosophers Josef Tischner and Krzyzstof Michalsk in the gardens of Castelgandolfo. In the entire book the problem of evil is presented, not in its physical but in its moral dimension. That which is derived from free human decisions.

Interreligious Symposium in Jerusalem

The Interfaith Association of Israel is organizing a symposium concerning the issue ”Religion and Violence” in the Conrad Adenauer Centre of Jerusalem on April 3 and 4. Among other panel members are the Rabbi of Haifa, Shear Yashuv Cohen, The Greek Orthodox Archbishop, Aristachos, and the leader of the Islamic Movement of Israel, Sheik Nimir Darwish.

Interreligious Prize for Hans Kung

The eminent Swiss theologian Hans Kung shall receive the ”Peace Prize” instituted by Japan for his contribution to world peace and the promotion of interreligious co-operation.

Translation: María Lía Macchi

Benedict XVI, New Pope of the Catholic Church

The Conclave of Cardinals consecrated Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new Pontiff of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI. The new pope is considered a continuer of Pope John Paul II, as regards his identification to the conservative current of Catholicism. The first German Pope of German ascent since the XI-th century has been in charge since 1981 of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Church, an organisms destined to care for theological orthodoxy in Catholicism. As concerns the interreligious area, and especially regarding the relationship with Judaism it is believed that Benedict XVI will continue the Catholic attitude towards Judaism inaugurated by his predecessor John Paul II. In this sense Rabbi David Rosen considers that the then Cardinal Ratzinger was responsible, in his capacity as President of the Pontifical Commission of Biblical Studies, for the wording of the most important document in Judeo-Christian relationships, a paper that underlines the theological centrality of the Jewish People and their Sacred Texts towards the study of Christianism. That paper expresses that the Jewish non acceptance of Jesus as the Redeemer must not be understood as an act of refusal of God but as part of a plan of the Divinity to remind us that the redemption of the whole of Humanity has not been yet fulfilled. Moreover, regarding the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the State of Israel, the contribution of the new Pope has been remarkable. It is to be noted that in recent years Cardinal Ratzinger visited Israel several times and even spoke at a Jewish-Christian Symposium which took place in Jerusalem. The Raoul Wallenberg International Foundation has had the honor of inviting Cardinal Ratzinger -and has repeated this invitation after his election as Pope- to visit the commemorative mural of the Holocaust set up by the Foundation in the Vaterunser Church in Berlin on September 2004.

Great Challenges For the New Pope

The recently elected Pope Benedict XVI will have to face, as religious leader of the Catholic Church, difficult problems that threaten Humanity at the beginning of the Third Millennium. Among other urgent issues, the Vatican must direct the Church regarding the following subjects: Medical and Bioethical affairs regarding abortion, clonation, birth control and euthanasia. Participation in the power of the Church between the Pope, Vatican Burocracy, the bishops and various Catholic Organizations; globalization and its impact on the middle and poor classes; the role of women in a Patriarchal Church that sustains that Jesus did not authorize their ordination; relations with the Islam, Judaism and the other Christian Churches.

Book on the Dialogue Between Religions

Spanish theologian Juan José Tamayo has presented his book ”Fundamentalismo y diálogo entre religiones” (Fundamentalism and Dialogue Between Religions) edited by Trotta, in the Fundación Cives (Cives Foundation) of the Spanish League of Education and Popular Culture. The book analizes interculturism as an antidote for fundamentalism, exploring the relationshipbetween Christianism and Islam. The author is Director of Chair of Theology and Science of Religions in the Carlos III University of Madrid.

A Film About Faith and Heroism

On the 13th of April the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation sponsored the Premiere of the film ”Raoul Wallenberg, Buried Alive” in the City College of New York. The movie, directed By David Harel, reconstructs the history of the young Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat, who, inspired by an unmovable faith and a undestroyable personal heroism saved more than 100,000 Hungarian Jews from certain death in Nazi extermination camps.

Solemn Burial of Pope John Paul II

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was soon to become Pope Benedict XVI, presided over the mass celebrated on occasion of the burial of Pope John Paul II which included the participation of a large number of cardinals, bishops, priests and an enormous multitude of believers. The religious service was also attended by kings, heads of state, prime ministers and dignitaries of other churches -Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant and Evangelic, as well as representatives of Jewish and Islamic organizations.

Interreligious Prayer in Argentina

The National Meeting for Peace organized by the Argentine Episcopal Commission on Ecumenism held an interreligious celebration on the explanade of the Law School of the National University of Buenos Aires on April 18th, during which pidgeons and balloons with peace messages were released. The Chairman of the Episcopal Commission on Ecumenism, Monsignor Justo Laguna affirmed that that meeting ”is permeated by the spirit of Assisi” referring to the meeting that Pope John Paul II held in 1986 with religious leaders from all over the world to elevate a joint prayer for peace. Bishop Laguna spoke at the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation in Jerusalem on February 1999, on which occasion he presented, together with Rabbi Mario Rojzman the book ”Todos los caminos conducen a Jerusalem y también a Roma” (All roads lead to Jerusalem and also to Rome).

Conference by Rabbi David Rosen

The Interreligious Coordinating Council of Israel has sponsored the conference that Rabbi David Rosen gave on April 14 on the subject ” Unleash thy Vengeance: Confronting Problematic Texts”. The subject expounded upon refers to the Pessach Haggadah text that invokes Divine wrath upon those Gentiles that persecuted Jews throughout History, an issue that was analyzed by Rabbi Rosen from an interreligious point of view.

The Best Pope of all Times

The distinguished Rabbi, Irving Greenberg from New York, former Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, asserted that the late Pope John Paul II was the best pope in History as regards the Jewish People. According to Greenberg, John Paul II established three theological facts of great transcendency: the assertion of Judaism as a religion based upon a valid alliance with the Divinity, the admission that the Holocaust was a theological turning point (combined with the recognition that Christians must repent for having spread out hateful images about Jews throughout the course of History) and the diplomatic recognition of the State of Israel.

Interreligious Meeting in Humble Suburbs of Jerusalem

Three organizations have begun a pilot project to promote interrreligious dialogue in humble suburbs of Jerusalem. They are the associations ”Spring for Democratic Education” and ”Interreligious Encounter” and the foundation ”Relief Friendship”, who will try to bring together groups from different religions by means of the teaching of their respective religious texts, encouraging joint study and shared liturgical practices, without causing a loss of identity of each participating group. On April 13th, the first meeting took place in the neighborhood of Guilo, in the Southern district of Jerusalem, near the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.

Translation: María Lía Macchi

”Jerusalem and Its Saints” Symposium

The Tantur Ecumenical Institute of Jerusalem organized on May 29 and 30 last a symposium on the theme ”Jerusalem and its Saints”. The main conference was given by Reverend Daniel Findikyan, Theology professor at the Armenian Seminar of New York. The program of the meeting emphasized the theme of saints in the Orthodox Christian tradition.

Consul Carl Lutz Commemorated in a Synagogue in New York

On the thirtieth anniversary of the death of diplomat Carl Lutz, Swiss General Consul at Budapest during the Second World War, Raul Wallenberg International Foundation and Park East Synagogue of New York held a religious ceremony in honor of the deceased consul’s humanitarian activities. Carl Lutz issued tens of thousands of ” letters of protection” to Jews persecuted by the Nazi Regime and created ”Refugee Houses” for them in Budapest, thus saving the lives of sixty two thousand persons.

The event, which took place on May 11th, was attended by Ms. Agnes Hirschi, daughter of the honored diplomat.

Blessed Maria Elisabetta Hesselblad Declared ”Righteous Among the Nations”

Blessed Maria Elisabetta Hesselblad, Swedish founder of the Order of The Most Holy Saviour of Saint Bridget, has been proclaimed ”Righteous Among Nations” because of the aid given to the Jews of Rome during the Second World War. The medal which attests this recognition will be given to her successor as abbess general of the Order, Mother Maria Telka Famiglietoi, by a representative of the State of Israel, on June 3, during a ceremony which will take place at the ”Palazzo della Cancelleria” in Rome.

IRWF Congratulates Vatican State Secretary

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation has offered its congratulations to Cardinal Angel Sodano for having been confirmed in his post as Vatican Secretary of State by Pope Benedict XVI, who also appointed him Dean of The College of Cardinals.

International Conference for the Fortieth Anniversary of Nostrae Aetate Declaration

The Institute for the Study of Religions and Cultures and the Cardinal Bea Centre of Jewish Studies of The Gregorian University in Rome organize an International Conference to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of Vatican Council II ’s Declaration ”Nostrae Aetate” which will take place on September 25 to 28.

Cardinal Announces Three Goals for Jewish-Christian Relations

Cardinal Walter Kasper, Chairman of the Pontifical Council for the promotion of Christian Unity and the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews, attended a Symposium which took place on March 14 last in the Catholic University of America, where he emphasized the three principal points that according to his opinion must be fulfilled to obtain a better development of Jewish- Catholic relationships: The deepening of historical studies, the stressing of theological analysis and the promotion of social and charitable work.

Historical Visit of the Pope to a Synagogue in Germany Announced

The announcement that the new Pope, Benedict XVI expressed his intention of visiting the Synagogue of Cologne, Germany next August was made in a special meeting summoned by the authorities of the Raoul Wallenberg International Foundation, the Angelo Roncalli International Committee (ARIC) and the Interfaith Association-Jerusalem, which took place in New York.

The spirit of brotherhood radiated by the commemorative mural for the Victims of the Holocaust in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires and its replica in the Vaterunser Evangelic Church in Berlin will celebrate the coming historical visit of Pope Benedict XVI when he visits the Synagogue of Cologne, since they are symbolic testimonies of the dialogue and brotherhood that must prevail among all human beings, over and beyond their differences of religion, ethnia, gender, nationality or language. These are precisely the ideals that inspire the Raoul Wallenberg International Foundation and the Angelo Roncalli International Committee.

Catalonian Inter-religious Web Established

The Catalonian Web of Inter-religious Dialogue Entities, which groups ten religious groups and entities of the territorial area of Catalonian language, was officially established in Barcelona. The web, whose principal objective is the practice and spreading of dialogue between the different religious confessions, will be coordinated by the Ubesco Association for Inter-religious Dialogue.

Along with the interchanging of information and the coordination between agencies, the web has as a purpose the annual organization of a Catalonian Parliament of Religions, the first edition of which took place on May 29th in Barcelona. The event achieved the support of the Blanc Sabadell Foundation, the General Board for religious Matters of the Generalitat ( Government of Catalonia) and the Council for Women and Civil Rights of the Ayuntamiento ( Municipal Government) of Barcelona.

Israel Emits a Stamp in Remembrance of John Paul II

The State of Israel has dedicated a stamp commemorative of John Paul II on occasion of the anniversary of his birth, May 18, on which day the deceased Pope would have reached the age of eighty five. The Sunday edition of ”L’Osservatore Romano” informed that this was announced officially by the Embassy of Israel to the Holy See, specifying that the philatelic emission reproduces the historical image if John Paul II before the West Wall of Jerusalem.

According to the Holy See newspaper, the Israeli Environmental Agency (KKL) has also announced that it is sponsoring the creation of the ”Park of Encounter for the Pope of Youth” in Galilee, a place related to Christianity, where an amphitheatre will also be built.. The purpose of the initiative is to develop in youths belonging to the different monotheist religions, a culture of dialogue in order to construct a future of peace

Translation: María Lía Macchi

Priest Heads Campaign to Abolish Anti-Jewish Directive

Catholic priest Horacio Moreno, chairman of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and The Angelo Roncalli International Committee has headed an active campaign towards the repeal of an anti– Jewish directive by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs given on July 1938, a year before the beginning of World War II. Argentine Embassies at that time received a secret communication-circular number 11-in, which they were instructed to deny visas to whoever wished to flee his country ”or who has left it escaping or was expelled”. The orders meant death for thousands of Jews who were unable to leave Germany and were later deported to extermination camps.
On June 8th 2005, President Kirchner headed a ceremony at the Casa Rosada (the House of Government) where circular number 11 was repealed. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rafael Bielsa, the Minister of Home Affairs, Anibal Fernandez, the vice chairman of IRWF, Natalio Waingrover also attended, as well as historians Beatriz Gurevich and Uki Goñi, who made the existence of the document known.

Mercosur Creates a Study Group on Religious Liberty

Representatives of official organizations who are responsible for communication with the various religious confessions in the Common Market of the South (Mercosur) have agreed on the creation of a study group on religious liberty and freedom of worship, during a meeting which took place on June 2 and 3.
The work group, comprised of representatives of the countries which are members and associates of the Mercosur (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile and Bolivia), is considered to be a valuable instrument towards dialogue and cooperation, regarding issues of religious liberty and liberty worship in the region.

Forty-first Anniversary of the death of the Good Pope – John XXIII

On June the third, forty two years have elapsed since the death of Blessed John XXIII, the man who is remembered in History as the Pope who convoked the Second Vatican Council, the event which gave birth to the ” Nostra Aetate” Declaration, a document which acknowledged the Jewish roots of Christianity, thus trying to heal centuries of hostilities between the two religions. In the year 2000, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation created The Angelo Roncalli International Committee. The ceremony took place at the Vatican Delegation to the United Nations, in the presence of the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, to render homage to the humanitarian task performed by Nuncio Roncalli, later Pope John XXIII, of rescuing Jewish refugees persecuted by the Nazi r e gime during the Second World War.
The Angelo Roncalli International Committee is composed of personalities of international renown, like Cardinal Walter Kasper, Professor André Chouraqui and Cardinal Renato Martino, among other distinguished personalities.
Nuncio Roncalli’s humanitarian activities to save the lives of thousands of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, together with his determined attitude of religious approach and dialogue towards Judaism as Pope John XXIII, make his legacy an enduring symbol of love of one’s neighbor and interreligious dialogue.

Delegates from Monsignor Capovila visit IRWF Office

On the commemoration of the forty-second anniversary of the death of Nuncio Angelo Roncalli – later Pope John XXIII- a delegation from Italy composed by Msrs. Marcos Aggazzi, Srinivas P. Gahndi and Luis María Giron visited the New York Office of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation. The visitors carried a letter from Monsignor Capovila, who was private secretary to Pope John XXIII, as well as a medal that was given to the founder of IRWF, Mr. Baru ch Tenenbaum.

Conference by AJC Director of Interreligious Affairs

The Israeli Interfaith Association of Israel sponsor ed a conference by Rabbi David Rosen, international director for interreligious relations of the Jewish-American Committee, on ”From One Pope to Another Pope: the Catholic Church between John Paul II and Benedict XVI, A Jewish Point of View.” It took place on July 7 at seven p.m. in the Office of the AJC in Jerusalem.

Beatification of Religious Savior of Jews during the Holocaust

The diocesan process for the beatification of Emmanele Stablum, religious of the congregation of Children of the Immaculate Conception, who saved the lives of many Jews who were victims of Nazi persecution was concluded in Rome. When the Nazi troops occupied Italy after September 8, 1943, brother Emmanuele, who at the time was a doctor in the Dermatological Institute of the Immaculata, hid fifty Jewish refugees in the institute, making them appear as patients of the hospital.

Friendship Between Three Cultures

A meeting of friendship between the three major religions took place last June 12 at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Madrid, organized by the Interreligious Federation Towards World Peace, moderated by Armando Lozano, director of the Interreligious Delegation for World Peace.

First Meeting between the Pope and Jewish Leaders

Authorities of the World Jewish Congress met on June 9 with Pope Benedict XVI , agreeing on a joint initiative to fight Aids in Africa. Rabbi Israel Singer lead the Jewish delegation, and President of the Pontifical Council for Dialogue with the Jews, Cardinal Walter Kasper and the secretary of the same Council, Norbert Hoffman were also present. This was the eighteenth meeting of the International Committee of Catholic-Jewish Liaison and follows the last encounter held in Buenos Aires on June 2004.

European Organization Condemns Anti-Semitism

The fifty-five member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have signed the Declaration of Córdoba urging concrete measures against anti-Semitism and discrimination, as well as the fight against Anti-Semitic propaganda through the Internet.

Pope Benedict XVI Condemns Genocide of Jews

Pope Benedict XVI condemned the repression of the Polish People and genocide of Jews qualifying both crimes as outrageous proof of the evil that characterized Nazi ideology. The papal declaration was expressed after the projection of a new television film about his predecessor, John Paul II, during which scenes about crimes committed by the Nazis in Poland, the native country of John Paul II, were shown.

International Conference About Interreligious Dialogue

More than a hundred persons of different religions and traditions participated in the conference titled ”Critical Moment for Interreligious Dialogue” which took place on June seven and eight 2005 with the purpose of evaluating and examining the experience of interreligious dialogue and collaboration, as it has been carried on during recent decades, and about the way it should be practiced in the future.

Specialists in religious issues met in the Ecumenic Centre of Geneva to examine the subjects: ”reflection in common”, ”evaluating the present” and ”imagining the future”.

Among the speakers were important personalities of interreligious dialogue, like Swami Agnivesh, Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, Rabbi Ehud Bandel, Professor Rita M.Gross, H.E. Seyyed Ali Abtahi, Rabbi Naamah Kelman, Rev. Valson Thampu. This international conference was organized by the World Council of Churches, a community of three hundred and forty seven churches from more than a hundred and twenty countries from all the continents and the greater part of Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member but it maintains a cooperative relationship with WCC.

Muslim Woman Leads Prayer in New York

Some Muslim women fight against traditions, impositions and interpretations of the very religion that they practice. This makes their battles more prominent than others, and harder and more complex as well.

This is the case of Dr. Amina Wadud, who, together with over a hundred faithful of both sexes, tore down a virtual wall at the cathedral of St. John Divine of New York, where she recently offered a prayer which advocated equality not only metaphorically.

The ceremony, organized by a group of Muslim activists who hope to better the position of women in Islam, gathered more than a hundred persons in the Synod House of New York, in North Manhattan. There, Asra Nomani, one of the organizers explained, ”the voices of women have been silenced by centuries of traditions made by men”.

The feminine religious service did not obtain support from any mosque so the prayer had to be performed in the Christian Cathedral of Morningside Heights, under the surveillance of more than two hundred policemen.

Sousa Mendes: 120th. birth anniversary:

On July 19th., the Portuguese diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes was remembered on occasion of his 120th birth anniversary. He saved the life of thousands of refugees from the Nazi persecution, most of them Jews.

The event was organized by the IRWF and took place at the Museum of the Jewish Heritage in New York. Among the attendees was Sousa Mendes’ granddaughter, Mrs Fleischhaker Abranches, in representation of his family.

An active catholic and father of fourteen children, Sousa Mendes is a hero of humanity. As Portuguese consul in Bordeaux (France), from late 1939 to June 1940, he issued countless visas which allowed thousands of people, both Jews and not, to escape from the horror of World War II. Thanks to Sousa Mendes’ courage, more than 30,000 thousand people survived the Holocaust.

Sousa Mendes’ humanity came at a high price for him. His defiance of the Portuguese government, which had commanded him not to issue permits to either Jewish or anti-Nazi refugees, cost him his position. Sousa Mendes was dismissed from the PortugueseDiplomatic Service, and his name was banished for decades in his own country. He had to spend the rest of his lifetime in abject poverty. Sousa Mendes died on April 3rd 1954. His good reputation had not been restored yet.

In 2004, on occasion of his 50th death anniversary, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and the Angelo Roncalli International Committee organized a number of simultaneous religious services in churches and synagogues in more than 30 different countries.

Interreligious Seminar in Cyprus:

On July 3rd 2005, a delegation from the Interreligious Coordinating Council of Israel (ICCI) traveled to Cyprus for the study seminar ”Interreligious Reconciliation: Learning, Dialogue and Action”. The Israeli delegation, including rabbis, priests and Muslim kadis, met Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot religious leaders that are involved in a common effort to reach a pacific settlement in the divided island.

Pope could visit Israel:

Israeli ambassador at the Vatican, Mr Oded ben Hur, confirmed that Israeli Minister of Communications , Mrs Dalia Itzick, delivered a letter from Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon to Pope Benedict XVI inviting the Pontiff to visit to the Jewish State.

According to an Israeli radio station that interviewed the Minister of Communications, the Pontiff may have said during the meeting: ”I have a very busy schedule of visits to foreign countries, but Israel is a priority.”

Hebrew national poet inspires believers to a council of religions:

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF) has built the website: www.bialikencastellano.com with the aim to render (????) Jaim Najman Bialik’s poetry accessible to Spanish-speaking readers. The project was launched by Mr. Baruj Tenembaum – the founder of IRWF – and it is supported by the efficiency and dedication of Ms Belkis Rogovsky, the coordinator.

The Hebrew national poet’s work is obviously interesting for the Jewish people – both in Israel and the Diaspora – but it is also interesting for Christian sectors aiming to regain Jewish religion as part of their own line of faith.

Postgraduate degree in interreligious dialogue:

A postgraduate degree in interreligious, ecumenical and cultural dialogue will be launched next academic year. According to information provided by the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences, Barcelona, the programme includes studies of Abrahamanic religions (Judaism and Islam), Eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism), African and Afro-American religions, and new religions like New Age. It also includes studies of interreligious dialogue, ecumenism and cross-cultural faith, among other issues.

This postgraduate degree is one of the two specialisations offered by the Masters Degree in Religious Sciences – the other specialisation is Biblical Theology – and it is aimed at students with a degree.

”Legado”, an Argentinean documentary for interreligious dialogue to win award in Berlin:

The Argentinean documentary film ”Legado, yo nunca me fui de mi pueblo” (Legacy, I never left my village) will be awarded a prize in Berlin for its humanitarian message of intercultural and interfaith friendship. The film has been produced by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation (IRWF) and its associated institutions Argentinean House in Jerusalem and the Angelo Roncalli International Committee. The IRWF requested filmmakers Vivian Imar and Marcelo Trotta to direct the film, also helping to find the descendants of Jewish ancestors of the Diaspora in different countries. The film focuses on a little known story about Argentinean life in the Pampas, where Jewish immigrants settled near the 20th century after fleeing from the persecutions in Europe.

The prize will be awarded from the Evangelic Church in Berlin, a Christian religious community. The jury emphasizes the achievements made by the IRWF, which sponsored the film with donations from descendants of the Diaspora. Because the prize is awarded by a Christian institution in Berlin, the award has a strong symbolic meaning, in that it reinforces the cause of Judeo-Christian dialogue and harmony in the place where the Nazis administered the genocide that mass murdered millions of Jewish people.

Interreligious women’s pilgrimage:

The Interreligious Meeting Association organized the first interreligious women’s peregrination on July 14th-15th. The pilgrimage aimed for the study of Druse religion. The event included visits to the Druse village El Carmel and the Prophet Jehtro’s tomb in Galilea.

”The cross and the synagogue”, a book for Christians and Jews:

The book was presented during an event held in the foreign press room in Rome. The author of the book, the Italian Vaticanist Giovanni Battista Brunori, shared the presentation talk with Bishop Rino Fisichella, President of Pontific University of Letran; Benedetto Carucci Viterbi, Rabbi of the Roman Jewish Community; Mauro Mazza, TG2 RAI director; David Meghnagi, Professor at Rome 3 University; and Lisa Palmieri, correspondent in Rome for the Jerusalem Post newspaper.

The book analyzes various themes of interest for Christians and Jews, notably the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the role of Pope Pio XII during the Nazi persecution of Jews, and the resurgence of anti-Semitism around Europe.

Mexican Primate in Holy Land:

The Mexican Primate, Cardinal Norberto Riviera Carrera, visited the State of Israel, Holy Land, in June together with other Mexican Bishops.