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Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland
Photo: AFP Copyright 2006
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WARSAW (EJP) --- Pope Benedict XVI, once an unwilling member of Hitler Youth, will mark the most solemn moment of his 4-day trip to Poland when he visits Auschwitz on Sunday to pray for its more than one million victims.
What do Poland’s Jews think of the Pope’s visit?
EJP spoke to representatives of the Jewish community in Warsaw.
Piotr Kadlčik, chairman of the Union Of the Jewish Communities in Poland:
Though Benedict XVI has already been to Auschwitz-Birkenau as a cardinal, the fact he is going there during his first papal tip to Poland, that he will participate in joint prayer there, that he will call for peace from there, shows that he is perpetuating the message of John Paul II. This declaration will not be that of a German pope, but that of the head of the Catholic Church, since it is the character of his visit to Poland.
I am trying to arrange when the Pope goes to the Memorial for the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, he will find some time to stop by the group of Poles who received title “Just Among the Nations”, for helping the Jews during the WWII. The papal blessing would mean so much to them; they are all Catholics, and elderly.
Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland:
The crucial moment will be the Pope’s visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is the place where every human being sees what racism leads to and what anti-Semitism can do. The presence there of the head of the Catholic Church is very meaningful and important.
Zbigniew Safian, writer, the Slowo Zydowskie (Jewish Voice) monthly, editor-in-chief:
The visit of Benedict XVI will be very important for both believers and non-believers. It will help to further the atmosphere of tolerance, and it will remind us of the message of John Paul II, which is often easily forgotten. I also believe that the Pope’s visit further ecumenism and increase the authority of the Catholic Church in Poland.
Ms. Dorota Szymborska-Dyrda, Beit Warszawa, member of the Board:
As Polish Jews, we are happy with this visit. We see the importance of the fact that Benedict XVI, the head of the Catholic Church, but also a German, visits the Nazi camp in Auschwitz. We will listen closely to his words from there. And we hope that Benedict XVI will engage in a Catholic-Jewish dialogue with the same devotion as John Paul II.
Piotr Pawinski, ‘Midrasz’ magazine, editor-in-chief:
Like to many others, I am waiting to hear the Pope speak in Auschwitz, to see how he will refer to history. Pope John Paul II was there as a Pole, while Benedict XVI will be there as the head of the Catholic Church but also as a German. I hope he will condemn anti-Semitism and totalitarian tendencies. The visit to Auschwitz will be the culminating moment of the visit. I think the Pope also sees it this way.
Jan Gebert, Polish Union of Jewish Students:
The visit is a great challenge for Benedict XVI, whose predecessor, John Paul II was the first pope in history to enter a synagogue. At the same time, it is a great challenge for the Jewish community in Poland. The challenge is how to handle the difficult task of the dialogue between the Catholics and the Jews, how to strengthen the Polish-Jewish dialogue.
Ms. Grazyna Pawlak, Moses Schorr Foundation, managing director:
I hope that Poles, and everyone, will listen carefully to what the Pope has to tell us, and that they do not to let the prejudice poison the political life of the country. The visit of Benedict XVI can soothe the racist voices, but is not enough to diminish the threat posed by those who raise them.