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John Paul II exhibit an interfaith 'blessing'

It shows a pope's efforts to reconcile Christians and Jews.

By Waveney Ann Moore, Times Staff Writer
Published February 16, 2008

Pope John Paul II stands at the summit of Mount Nebo, west of Amman, Jordan, on March 20, 2000. Tradition says that Moses saw the Promised Land from this location. The photo is part of an exhibit at the Florida Holocaust Museum.
	[Xavier University]

Pope John Paul II's words commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising -the tragic attempt by a group of World War II-era Jews to revolt against their Nazi persecutors - would become some of his most profound as he sought reconciliation between the world's oldest Abrahamic faiths.

"As Christians and Jews, following the example of the faith of Abraham, we are called to be a blessing to the world. This is the common task awaiting us," he said.

"It is therefore necessary for us, Christians and Jews, to first be a blessing to one another."

The words serve as the fulcrum of an exhibit about the late pope and his friendship with the Jewish people, now on display at the Florida Holocaust Museum.

"A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People" will be in St. Petersburg until April 13. The exhibit includes photographs, documents, artifacts and videos that tell the story of the pope's life and the historic steps he took to improve Catholic-Jewish relations.

It's one of two Tampa Bay area exhibitions about the Roman Catholic Church. "Vatican Splendors from Saint Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museum and the Swiss Guard" is at the Florida International Museum through May 11.

The John Paul exhibit, which opened at Xavier University in Cincinnati in 2005, moved to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., and was there until 2006. It has since been to Pittsburgh, New York City and Philadelphia.

The exhibit focuses on four phases of the pope's life, taking visitors from his birthplace in Wadowice, Poland, to his papacy in Rome. Visitors will learn that the future pope grew up among Jews and had Jewish friends.

Also on display is John Paul's scarlet biretta, which he wore as cardinal. This section of the exhibit chronicles his rise through the church's ranks. Another section focuses on his papacy.

Sponsored locally, in part, by the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, the exhibit was created by Xavier University, the Hillel Jewish Student Center of Cincinnati, and the Shtetl Foundation of New York. The main financial sponsor is the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati.

John Paul has been praised for his historic efforts to heal Christian-Jewish relations.

"He is somebody we would truly call an upstander. He took what he learned growing up with lots of Jewish neighbors and friends, together with what he learned in the church and his education to make positive changes in the church and the relationship between these two groups," said Erin Blankenship, curator of the Florida Holocaust Museum.

In 1979, he became the first pope to pray at the Auschwitz concentration camp. He again made history when he visited the Great Synagogue of Rome in 1986, becoming the first pope to visit a synagogue. In 1994 he established diplomatic relations with Israel and in 2000 became the first pope to officially visit the country. During that pilgrimage, he followed a tradition of many visitors to Jerusalem's Western Wall. He stuck a prayer in one of its cracks.

It said, "God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring Your name to the nations: we are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer,' and asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the People of the Covenant."

Waveney Ann Moore can be reached at wmoore@sptimes.com or 727 892-2283.

IF YOU GO

Words and images

"A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People," through April 13, Florida Holocaust Museum, 55 Fifth St. S, St. Petersburg. Go to www.flholocaustmuseum.org or call (727) 820-0100.

Interfaith panel discussion, in partnership with the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at Saint Leo University and Florida International Museum, 7 p.m. March 4 at the Palladium Theatre, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg.

[Last modified February 15, 2008, 22:02:47]