Panel: THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM'S VATICAN ARCHIVES INITIATIVE



657.2 - RESEARCH FINDINGS: A CASE STUDY OF EARLY EFFORTS TOWARD CHRISTIAN-JEWISH DIALOGUE

AUTHORS:
Brown-Fleming S. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum ~ Washington, DC ~ United States of America)
Text:
In November 1944, with deportations to Auschwitz only having ceased the month prior, Father Marie-Benoît gave a series of lectures at the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion in Rome. In the lectures, he tried to bring together Jews and Christians by discussing topics such as the creation of the universe, man formed in the image of God, monogamy, the sanctity of marriage, the unity of the human family, and other topics common to both Christianity and Judaism. His lectures came to the attention of the Supreme Congregation of the Holy Office, the office within the Roman Curia that ruled on matters of faith and morals. This essay describes the tug-of-war between various authority figures, congregations within the Curia, and religious Orders that ensured, ultimately foreshadowing the sea changes of the Second Vatican Council.