ROBERT S. WISTRICH
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were the anonymous "others" in Hitler's alleged Holocaust against the
Catholic Church. (Three million gentile Poles are hereby annexed as
"Catholics," though those Nazi executioners who were also
"Catholics," from Hitler and Himmler down through the SS and Order
Police, are for the purposes of this kind of tendentious propaganda
merely "neopagans.") One wonders if, by this criterion, millions of Rus–
sians killed by the Nazis should be counted as Orthodox Christians!
The Pope's record in mediating these conflicts leaves something to be
desired, thankless task though it must be. Interestingly, as O'Brien
shows, Jerzy Kluger played a little-known mediating role in these
affairs, as he did in developing channels of communication with the
Israelis that eventually led to the formal recognition of the Jewish state.
This is all the more remarkable given that Kluger has never had any
overt political ambitions, let alone seen himself as a self-conscious eth–
nic or religious Jew. Nevertheless, the Pope has bestowed at times a
unique trust in him which Kluger has readily reciprocated, despite being
placed on occasion (as in the Glemp affair) in an excruciating situation.
His consolation, as O'Brien puts it, is to have "played an important role
in the achieving of reconciliation between Catholics and Jews that cul–
minated in the recognition of Israel."
This recognition has been a crucial element in helping to resolve the
bimillennial religious and political antagonism between Rome and
Jerusalem. On the occasion of his '994 address to the First Ambassador
of Israel to the Holy See, the Pope spoke in French about the distinctive
nature of the new relations between the two parties. As always, he men–
tioned their common cultural roots ("starting with the writings of the
Bible, the book of books, an ever-living source") but also recalled the
unique character of the Holy Land, sanctified by the "One God's reve–
lation to men"; more specifically, he evoked the millions of believers of
the great monotheistic religions who turn to the Holy City of Jerusalem
as to a sacred heritage-but also to a scene of division and conflict. For
the Pope, "the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Jewish
people of Israel and of the whole world" would enable both "to better
serve the great causes of humanity." Above all, he looked forward to the
day when Jews, Christians, and Muslims will "hail one another in
Jerusalem with the greeting of peace." Perhaps the Papal dream (and
that of so many others) will be fulfilled during John Paul II 's projected
millennial visit
to
the land of Israel. One is permitted
to
doubt and also
to hope. Jerzy Kluger, too, has played his modest, unassuming, but not
unimportant part in this odyssey. Dr. Kluger would have been very
proud.
