CATHOLIC AND JEWISH SCHOLARS TO STUDY VATICAN ARCHIVES

VATICAN CITY, OCT 19, 1999 (VIS) - Cardinal Edward Cassidy, President of the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, announced today that this Commission and an international committee of Jewish leaders have agreed to appoint a joint team of Catholic and Jewish scholars to review published volumes of Church archival material covering the World War II period.

Joining the cardinal in making the announcement was Seymour D. Reich, chairman of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC). The New York attorney welcomed it as a "useful first step in resolving the matter of the Vatican's role during World War II and resuming the Catholic-Jewish dialogue that has helped advance the evolving relationship between our two faiths in recent decades".

The agreement implements a proposal made by Cardinal Cassidy and accepted by the 1998 meeting in Rome of the International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee, comprised of the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and IJCIC. It specifies that 11 volumes of Vatican archival material, published between 1965 and 1981 and which relate to the Church's role during World War II, will be examined by a joint team of three Jewish and three Catholic scholars.

The hope was expressed that any question and differences that now exist or may arise can be resolved through the joint review approach. During their review, the six scholars may also draw on the knowledge and assistance of other specialists, including colleagues and associates.

The names of the three Catholic and Jewish scholars who will serve on the review team will be announced in the very near future.

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