Order Receives Nostra Aetate Award

Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz, right, presents Nostra Aetate Award to Supreme Knight Anderson.

New York City -- The Knights of Columbus was honored Dec. 1 as one of three recipients of the Nostra Aetate Award, given annually by the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University. Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz, executive director of the center, praised the Knights of Columbus for its "many contributions to interreligious understanding."

Nostra Aetate was one of the most notable documents of the Second Vatican Council, and was proclaimed by Pope Paul VI in 1965. It set the Catholic Church on a vigorous path toward dialogue and understanding with other faiths.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, in accepting the award on behalf of the Order, said that "For nearly 40 years, Nostra Aetate has promoted a rich dialogue between Christians and Jews to encourage mutual understanding and respect for each other's faith and religious convictions." He recalled that "In the opening words of Nostra Aetate we read, 'Ever aware of her duty to foster unity and charity among individuals, [the Church] reflects at the outset on what men have in common and what tends to promote fellowship among them.' One might say that those words literally jump off the page at a Catholic organization whose founding principles are charity, unity and fraternity."

The center noted that "Over its 122-year history, the Knights of Columbus has been a consistent and inspiring advocate of public tolerance, on behalf of Catholics as well as people of various religious backgrounds and heritages." During World War I, the Knights' Commission on Religious Prejudices campaigned against the un-American character of religious discrimination, and strongly opposed organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. "The Pacem in Terris Fund, the Auschwitz Centre for Dialog and Prayer, the annual 9/11 World Day of Prayer for Peace, and the 2004 Papal Concert for Reconciliation between the Religions are all initiatives of the Knights of Columbus," the center observed.

Anderson said of relations between Christians and Jews that "just as peace is not simply the cessation of violence, and reconciliation is not merely the end of hatred; so too, dialogue must presuppose an even greater goal. That, I believe, is the goal of friendship -- a friendship that is enriched by the treasures of both our rich traditions. For our part, may this friendship express in new ways charity, unity and fraternity and in so doing give a hint of that time when, as the Prophet Isaiah tells us, the Lord will 'gather the nations of every language' to witness His glory."

Also receiving the Nostra Aetate Award at the ceremony at the Park Avenue Synagogue were ABC-TV Entertainment Editor Joel Siegel and The Claims Conference, which was founded in 1951 to "secure a small measure of justice for Jewish victims of Nazi persecution by seeking the return of Jewish property lost during the Shoah, and provide compensation to individual Jewish victims of Nazi persecution."

On behalf of the Knights of Columbus, I wish to extend our sincere appreciation to Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz, Dr. Anthony Cernera, the members of the Awards Committee and all those involved with the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University. And to Rabbi Israel Singer and Mr. Joel Siegel we extend our congratulations as they receive this well deserved recognition.

In the opening words of Nostra Aetate we read, "Ever aware of her duty to foster unity and charity among individuals, (the Church) reflects at the outset on what men have in common and what tends to promote fellowship among them."

One might say that these words literally jump off the page at a Catholic organization whose founding principles are charity, unity and fraternity.

They are a confirmation, and they are a challenge: a confirmation of actions taken in the past to acknowledge and respect the spiritual and moral truths as well as cultural and social accomplishments of religious traditions different from our own; and a challenge to find new ways of furthering respect and understanding, especially since the events of September 11th.

As Knights of Columbus we have sought to find ways during the past 25 years to assist the pastoral initiatives of Pope John Paul II. And so, when it was suggested that we might play a role in making possible the historic Concert of Reconciliation at the Vatican last January, bringing together representatives of the three Abrahamic faiths, we did not hesitate.

Nor did we hesitate more recently to financially assist the Centre for Dialog and Prayer being constructed near the death camp at Auschwitz. It is our hope that by enabling the completion of the center, future generations from around the globe will never forget what happened in such places. And also that they will never forget why such things happened and because of that knowledge we hope that future generations will be on guard against any form of anti-Semitism.

For nearly 40 years Nostra Aetate has promoted a rich dialogue between Christians and Jews to encourage mutual understanding and respect for each other's faith and religious convictions. But just as peace is not simply the cessation of violence and reconciliation is not merely the end of hatred; so too, dialogue must presuppose an even greater goal. That, I believe, is the goal of friendship -- a friendship that is enriched by the treasures of both of our rich traditions. For our part, may this friendship express in new ways charity, unity and fraternity and in so doing give a hint of that time when, as the Prophet Isaiah tells us, the Lord will "gather the nations of every language" to witness His glory (66:18).