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WASHINGTON (June 22, 1999) -- Speaking on behalf of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), currently meeting in Tucson, Arizona, Cardinal William H. Keeler expressed solidarity with the victims of the synagogue fires in Sacramento.
Cardinal Keeler noted that Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento informed his fellow bishops "of these acts of hate" at their Special Assembly in Tucson, where the Bishops have assembled to discuss the challenge of episcopal leadership in the Third Millennium.
"Acts like this make it painfully clear that one of these challenges will continue to be combating religious and racial prejudice and hatred--hatreds that have cost too many lives in our century and those which have preceded it," Cardinal Keeler stated.
"We Bishops stand united in condemning terrorism which targets innocent people in revenge for the injuries which the terrorists conceive to have been committed against them," the Cardinal said. "Such irrational behavior can never lead to justice but only to fear, misunderstanding, and more hatred. We also condemn the targeting of religious sites and the repositories of religious knowledge, culture and tradition," Cardinal Keeler said.
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"As Bishop Weigand stated, 'An act such as this is not just an attack on the Jewish Community. It is an attack on all of us.' Similarly, it is an opportunity for all people of good will to unite to reject hatred and to renew our commitment to mutual understanding and respect."
Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, is NCCB Episcopal Moderator for Catholic-Jewish Relations.
The full text of Cardinal Keeler' statement on the Sacramento synagogue fires appears below.
By Cardinal William H. Keeler
Episcopal Moderator for Catholic-Jewish Relations
On behalf of the members of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and, in particular, of those who have been participants in the formal Catholic-Jewish dialogue, I wish to join Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento in his expression of solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters who have been the victims of senseless violence against three synagogues there, one of which contained an extensive library of Jewish tradition.
Bishop Wiegand informed his fellow Bishops of these acts of hate at a Special Assembly in Tucson to discuss the theme of the challenge of episcopal leadership in the Third Millennium. Acts like these make it painfully clear that one of these challenges will continue to be combating religious and racial prejudice and hatred--hatreds that have cost too many lives in our century and those which have preceded it.
We bishops stand united in condemning terrorism which targets innocent people in revenge for the injuries which the terrorists conceive to have been committed against them. Such irrational behavior can never lead to justice but only to fear, misunderstanding, and more hatred. We also condemn the targeting of religious sites and the repositories of religious knowledge, culture, and tradition.
As Bishop Weigand stated, "An act such as this is not just an attack on the Jewish Community. It is an attack on all of us." Similarly, it is an opportunity for all people of good will to unite to reject hatred and to renew our commitment to mutual understanding and respect.