Carlos Carmelo Cardinal Vasconcelos Motta, of Sao Paulo Brazil has issued a statement assuring Brazilian Jewry that he feels “no animosity towards the Jews” and that “the divergencies in our doctrines are no obstacle to the communion of interests we have in other sectors.”
The leader of the Catholic Church made this statement in an interview with Aron Neumann. editor and publisher of Aonde Vamos, a Portuguese-language Jewish weekly publication, in a move to allay fears provoked among the Brazilian Jews by one of his pastoral letters, in which he stated that the number of Jews in Brazil “is constantly increasing” and that “they insinuate themselves in all universities as teachers and students.” The pastoral letter, published in the Brazilian press also contained other remarks about Jews which were considered anti-Jewish.
In his authorized statement to Sr. Neumann, the Cardinal said; “If I nourished prejudices or dislikes toward Jews, I would merely be acting against myself, against the doctrine of the Church and against the greatest personalities of Christianity, who were Jews.” He added that he had visited Israel and liked “the progress and diligence” there. “I was favorably impressed by the fact that the Catholic religion, as well as other religions, in addition to the Jewish religion enjoys complete religious freedom.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
