Friday, August 10, 2007

We Honor Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger

Jean-Marie Lustiger, French Cardinal, Dies at 80

Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, who was born to Polish Jews, converted to Roman Catholicism as a boy, then rose to become leader of the French church and an adviser to Pope John Paul II, died Sunday, the Paris archbishop’s office said. Cardinal Lustiger, whose mother died in a Nazi concentration camp and who always insisted that he had remained a Jew after his conversion, was 80.

Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger with Pope John Paul II in 1997 at World Youth Day, which drew over a million people in Paris.


As archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Lustiger (pronounced li-sti-ZHAY) led France’s 45 million Catholics for almost a quarter century, until his retirement in 2005.

He was an early champion of interfaith relations and accompanied John Paul to Damascus, Syria, in 2001, when John Paul became the first pope to set foot in a mosque. Earlier, Cardinal Lustiger was involved in efforts to close a divide between Jews and Christians over the presence of a convent at the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, where his mother had perished.

Jewish-Christian relations were a concern of his throughout his career. He spoke on that theme repeatedly.

18 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTTING THIS UP , YOFI SWEETHEART.

The man is so unique and his life story even more so that the world should know about him.


I found it incredible that KADISH was recited over his dead body - I am sure it was what he wanted.

A man who proved every day of his life that a JEW and a CATHOLIC can share a soul.

This is why JEWS and CATHOLICS share a tear over his demise.


zecher tzadik livracha.


The memory of a righteous man is blessed.


batya

12:00 PM  
Blogger VerityINK said...

Well, thank YOU, Sis, for telling us about him. But for you, we wouldn't have known what we should know!

1:14 PM  
Blogger VerityINK said...

P.S. I found it incredible that KADISH was recited over his dead body - I am sure it was what he wanted. Yes, that is why I included a pic of him at the Wailing Wall. That was something to see!

1:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

May the good cardinal R.I.P.

1:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You know Yofi

These people are rare , a gift to the world .

batya

1:57 PM  
Blogger VerityINK said...

Yes, Sis, they are. Would that we could all have such an impact upon the world... I guess part of getting older is taking the measure of our footsteps in the world. Cardinal Lustiger can be very proud of his.

2:51 PM  
Blogger JINGOIST said...

Wise words indeed DONAL. Thanks for including the story of this incredible guy. Including the mourners Kadish was a classy touch. Thanks again.

6:28 PM  
Blogger VerityINK said...

Your welcome, Morgan, but that was dear Batya's doing. Had she not mentioned it--and the man--I, we here, would not have known his story! Sis is schooling us as usual in what we should already know!

6:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yofi, Morgan

Amazingly

Goldwater had a full Jewish funeral with a Rabbi and all the customry prayers.

I guess he thought that he came into the world as a Jew and he will leave like one.( Just like Jesus.)

These people are unique in their brutal honesty with themselves.

I never fault anyone for converting to Christianity or even Islam .

Many times it was a question of life and death.

People make choices and have to live with them.

When I run into someone like CARDINAL LUSTIGER who chose to live as both Jew and Chrisitian - I have to say , the magnitude of this takes my breath away.

batya

7:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think it's wonderful that Lustiger, who I once had the great honor of seeing preside at a church service in our church in Paris, remembered his Jewish roots from childhood even while going on to such heights in the Church. He converted as a child, against his parents' wishes, as did his sister, but he honored the faith of his parents till the day he died. This man really understood the Bible and understood his great heritage. After having read about him during the years since I had the pleasure of actually seeing him, I can see why the people at that church were so absolutely thrilled to be seeing him in person. What a healer, what a Godly man. I hate to see him go; if only there were many more like him.

2:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You know, friends

The last two lines in the KADDISH is a folk song in Israel.

OSEH SAHLOM BIMROMAV- the one who makes peace in his heavens will make peace on us and on all of Israel.

An old prayer , an old song, nothing could kill them , they are forever.

How incredible that this was read at the funeral of the man of peace.

batya

4:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

batya, that's wonderful! What a wonderful sentiment.

What is KIDDISH, by the way? My sis is attending a Bar Mitzvah today and said something about KIDDISH?

She has attended those of this family's other 2 sons and particularly goes to see "Siggie", the boy's grandfather, who survived the camps, and who Janine ADORES. "I love their family get-togethers because I get to see the grandpa, Siggie, he's so full of life and love".

Spielberg had interviews with this wonderful old man for background information for Schindler's List.
anyway....kiddish? Something to do with the food, or??

4:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ZIVI and all my friends here -

HEBREW is based on words called ROOTS who sprout and sprout...

The root K D S MEANS HOLY.

From it comes KADOSH - something or someone who is holy.

KADDISH is the prayer over the dead becaus it praises the holiness of God.

KIDUSH is the blessing over the wine on SHABAT NIGHT.Turns the ordinary day into a holy one.
Now it is SHABAT KODESH.

ARON KODESH is the holy arc that contains the TORAH.

What I love about Hebrew is that it is so humane .

To MARRY a woman is LEKADESH , the whole idea of marrige is holy and the process of marrying is holy too.

This is why I so loved teaching Hebrew.

batya

6:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very good to understand...thanks VERY much for the lesson, Batya......terrific!

8:33 PM  
Blogger VerityINK said...

Thank you so much for this, Sis. You are always bringing us something beautiful!

10:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you, Batya - I didn't even know about this man. I wouldn't know now if you hadn't posted about him!

P.S. Thanks for providing the Hebrew explanation; most of us haven't a clue where to look up such things!

10:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey CASSIE

Our media will consider this man , his life and his death, TRIVIAL.

Our media needs the space to write tear jerking stories about the POOR POOR PALIS and what the bad Jews are doing to them.

And it needs the space to write all sorts of lies about the US army , the weather,the terrible Republicans , the horrible Bush that stories of human interest , stories that lift the spirit , soothe the soul , cannot find their way into our knowledge.

It is the job of blogs like this one to give us what we cannot find anywhere else.

We all owe a big thank you to YOFI for that.

And thank you for writing to me .

batya

12:40 PM  
Blogger VerityINK said...

My sis is always so gracious! I thank her for this contribution, too, Cassie! (I have the best posters!)

8:06 AM  

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