Pope John XXIII "Best pope in history for the Jewish people"

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Mike Sullivan

Pope John XXIII "Best pope in history for the Jewish people"

Post by Mike Sullivan » Tue Apr 29, 2014 3:52 am

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"BLESSED BE THE ELDERS OF ZION"
With his beanie beatifically in place, John XXIII appears on the balcony of the Vatican during a 1962 ecumenical council to reaffirm the Judaic foundations of the Church.



NEW YORK — Pope John XXIII, who will be canonized on Sunday, was "the best pope in history for the Jewish people," according to one of the founders of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, which was set up in honor of the Swedish diplomat known for helping to save Jews from the [National Socialists].

John XXIII, who will be made a saint, along with John Paul II at the Vatican is credited with saving thousands of Jews during the Holocaust® and opening the door to Judeo-Christian dialogue, Baruch Tenenbaum told AFP in an interview at the foundation's New York headquarters.

The Italian-born John XXIII, whose given name was Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, "did such extraordinary things. I'm delighted that he is becoming a saint, even if — as a Jew — beatification doesn't affect me."

Fake baptismal certificates

"He couldn't have done more than he did," explained Tenenbaum, an 80-year-old Argentine known for his efforts to improve interfaith dialogue.
As the Vatican's envoy to Turkey from 1935, John XXIII helped save the lives of thousands of Eartern European Jews ... from the [National Socialists], including giving Hungarian Jews [fake] baptismal certificates.

"At the time, having identity papers labeling you a Catholic was enough to save your life," Tenenbaum said.

'Righteous Goy'

A document on file at the Yad Vashem Holocaust® memorial in Israel cites the future pope as being "among the most sensitive to the Jewish tragedy and most vigorous in rescue efforts."

Tenenbaum has asked that Yad Vashem add John XXIII to its list of "Righteous Among the Nations [haGoyim]" — a title honoring non-Jews [who protected Jews] during the Holocaust®.

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation honors the legacy of a Swedish diplomat posted to [wartime] Budapest in July 1944, who is [said to have] saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews in the final months of the Holocaust® by providing them with [bogus] passports.

Tenenbaum has worked hard to publicize John XXIII's work during his time in Turkey, about which there are few official records.

Jews acquitted at Vatican II

The scholar also praised John XXIII ... for helping open up the Roman Catholic Church to dialogue with other faiths during his 1958-1963 papacy.

Less than three months after being elected pope, John XXIII announced preparations for the Second Vatican Council, a global gathering of Catholic bishops, which opened in October 1962 and proved to be revolutionary, in that it finally acquitted Jews of Christ-killing.

He was the first to put a stop to use of the word "perfidious" to describe Jews in Good Friday prayers, Tenenbaum said.

Key role in creation of Israel

During his time as a Vatican envoy to France, the soon-to-be saint played a key role in plans for the partition of Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel.
According to diplomats involved in the negotiations, he helped persuade Pius XII to remain silent, effectively allowing mainly Catholic countries to vote on the partition plan free of Church influence.

"Roncalli's attitude definitely had something to do with the creation of the state of Israel. If the Vatican had given the order to vote against it, they would have voted against it," Tenenbaum said.

Tenenbaum says the current Pope Francis, a fellow Argentine, seems to be following in the path of John XXIII.

"Since the time of Pope John XXIII, I think the pope that most resembles Roncalli is Francis, at least from what we've seen so far," Tenenbaum said.

http://www.theneworder.org/news/2014/04 ... rg-outfit/

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