Cardinal Heenan, Archbishop of Westminster, pledged last night an unremitting fight for repudiating the charge of deicide against the Jewish people regardless of the treatment of the draft declaration on Jews by the fourth session of the Ecumenical Council.
The Cardinal, a leader in the fight at the first three sessions of the Ecumenical Council for a strong declaration absolving the Jewish people, past and present, spoke at a dinner celebrating the centenary of the Evelina de Rothschild school in Jerusalem. The guests included also many British Jews prominent in the worlds of finance, diplomacy and culture.
Proposing a toast to the school, the prelate discussed the deliberations of the Vatican Council on the draft declaration on Jews and expressed his hope that the final results “would bring comfort to the Jews.” He predicted that in the years to come, Catholics would admit there had been injustices against Jews. He then said: “My view denies absolutely the charge of deicide–I will not shrink from the truth and I will fight for Justice.”
Praising the prelate’s address, Maurice Edelman, president of the Anglo-Jewish Association, told the gathering that the Archbishop was esteemed by Jews not only in Britain but throughout the world.
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.
