Ediblog.com
The Pope Is Dying: It's Time To Come
Clean
By Ariel Natan Pasko
What can a man do in his last dying days, that he would never have been able
to do in his lifetime? What can a man do, when he's about to face his maker?
He can do the right thing in spite of the social pressure and outrage within
his institution, that his act will entail. He can correct an enormous,
centuries old historical injustice. That's what.
The man, Karol Wojtyla, better known as Pope John Paul II, it is said, had
good relations with Jews back in his native Poland, in the "old days."
And although I might not be the most favorable to interreligious dialogue -
I believe religions exist because of their differences and blurring those
differences is an untruth - this Pope has done much to further good
Catholic-Jewish relations. That's why I'm calling on him to open up the
Vatican vaults and return all the stolen Jewish property that the Catholic
Church has confiscated over the centuries.
Vast libraries of rare stolen Jewish books - and often-unique manuscripts -
exist in the Vatican. How do I know? Because, occasionally scholars - Jewish
or otherwise - are allowed access to them, to do research. The Vatican is so
morally corrupt, that it's not embarrassed to admit that they have the
stolen goods, and even relishes the opportunity to show them off - to the
right scholars - at times. Mind you not all scholars have access to the
Vatican's archives, but access isn't the issue in any case. Justice and
restoration of property rights is the issue. At a time when Eastern European
governments in the post-communist era are grappling with the return of
Jewish art and other property to its rightful owners - property that was
stolen from Jews during the Nazi and Communist eras - how can the Vatican
sit in self-righteous thievery and turn a deaf-ear to the demand to return
to the Jewish people it's rightful inheritance?
The last thousand years of Church history is strewn with blood libels,
riots, pogroms, expulsions, and the most evil murderous attacks against
Jewish communities, many of which were carried out under the behest of local
parish priests. Inquisitions, forced conversions, outright murder, these are
the memories that the Jewish people carry with them of Christian
"love". Why compound these sins, by stealing the Jews' heritage as
well?
Though there were numerous book - Jewish holy book - burning parties
sponsored by the Catholic Church in 12-15th century Europe, of which the
Talmud was a favorite; often the ransacked Jewish libraries were carted off,
and many made their way to the Vatican. Though the Church didn't want Jews
to have their "divine knowledge", somehow they sensed something
special in those books and couldn't bring themselves to destroy them all.
The same holds true for other Jewish ritual objects, such as Menorahs, Torah
scrolls, etc. It has even been rumored, that the Church inherited vessels
stolen from the destroyed Jerusalem Temple, which occurred during the Roman
Empire era conquest of Judea.
Israel has an appropriate address for restitution in its National Library at
the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. It's about time
the Catholic Church repent, admit its sins, open up its vaults to
inspection, return the stolen property, ask forgiveness, and promise never
to do such a horrendous thing again. This type of cultural pillage can never
be tolerated, not against Jews and not against others. Nothing less should
be expected from a so-called "religious" institution.
Now is the time, when "Mr. Infallible" can take the plunge to
right a wrong that's been perpetrated on the Jewish people for too long.
Karol Wojtyla, your days are numbered, everyone including you know it. While
celebrating the 25th anniversary of your pontificate, do the right thing and
order the return of the stolen loot to its rightful inheritors. Show
everyone what you're made of. It might be harder than turning Mother Teresa
into a saint, but it will get you much more credit from above!