“A
blessing to one another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People”
(Vatican
Radio) “A blessing to one another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People” is
the title of an exhibition showing in the Vatican’s Charlemagne Wing.
Scheduled
to last until September 17, the exhibit was previously displayed in a number of
state capitals in the USA where it received more than a million visitors.
“A
blessing to one another” illustrates the steps Pope Saint John Paul II took to
improve the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people, and
reflects the continuing relevance of the conciliar declaration “Nostra Aetate”,
in which the Catholic Church expresses her appreciation for other religions and
reaffirms the principals of universal fraternity, love and non-discrimination.
Dr William Madges, one of the exhibition curators, spoke to Vatican Radio about the event.
Dr William Madges, one of the exhibition curators, spoke to Vatican Radio about the event.
Madges
explains the exhibit is divided into four sections and consists of photographs,
videos, recordings and other interactive sources.
The
first section illustrates Karol Wojtyla's early years in his birthplace
Wadowice, what would become a lifelong friendship with the young Jew Jerzy
Kluger, and the relations between Catholics and Jews in Poland during the
decade 1920 to 1930.
The
second section is dedicated to the Pope's university years in Krakow, and his
work not far from his friends in the Ghetto who knew the horrors of the
Shoah.
The
third describes his priestly and episcopal life, Vatican Council II and the
change of direction it represented in relations between Jews and Christians,
and the close link between the cardinal archbishop of Krakow and the Jewish
community in his archdiocese.
The
final section considers the figure of Wojtyla as the Successor of Peter, his
visit to the Synagogue of Rome, and his trip to Israel in the year 2000 when he
left a prayer in the Western Wall asking for divine forgiveness for the
treatment that Jews had received in the past and reaffirming the Church's
commitment to a path of fraternal continuity with the People of the Covenant.
Visitors to “A blessing to one another” are invited to write a prayer to be placed in a reproduction of the Wall. They will be gathered and deposited in the Western Wall without being read.
Visitors to “A blessing to one another” are invited to write a prayer to be placed in a reproduction of the Wall. They will be gathered and deposited in the Western Wall without being read.
For
more information about the exhibition click here.
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