Some Not so Helpful Jewish Reaction To Cardinal's Lustiger

As I posted earlier this morning na important Cardinal passed away last night.

The Jersulaem Post headline is not very nice IMHO.

Apostate French cardinal dies at 80

Former archbishop of Paris and adviser to PopeJohn Paul II Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger died Sunday at age 80.
Lustiger was born Jewish, the son of Polish immigrants to France. He was first exposed to Catholicism when he and his sister were sent away from Paris after the Nazi occupation, and later converted. Lustiger's mother was deported and died in Auschwitz.
The cardinal was a champion of interfaith relations and always asserted that he remained a Jew, a claim that was soundly rejected by Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau. Lau said that Lustiger had "betrayed his people and his faith during the most difficult and darkest of periods."

There is quite a robust discussion going on in the talkback section of the Post on this article. Notice there the AP article doesn't ahve "Apostate" in it.

I am pretty pro-Israel even though I don't give them a blank check on everything. I also realize that the State of Israel gives the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox fits there as to our properties and our work.

Was he Apostate? Well I guess in some Jewish eyes he was. However, one does not often see the NYT or for that matter Catholic papers headlines such as CATHOLIC HERETIC dies, or Protestant Teacher of FALSE ideas dies. I am sure that the State of Israel and the local French Jewish population will have a more fitting tribute to him.

The Vatican Blogger Whispers in the Loggia has the latest on this Churchman here and here.

The papers have been full recently of some Jewish complaints as to the return of the "old Mass". As I read recently in a great article called the The Catholic Peter, the Orthodox John, and the Protestant Paul (available for download at the link start on page 43) written by a Orthodox, the Catholic Peter has to wrestle with the world. God knows at times some things that have happened have not been great.

However Cardianal Lustiger's life and witness are the exact opposite of that. Especially as to Catholic / Jewish relations and for being an advocate for the Jewish people. Sadly the media and world will in all likelihood not take note of that. That is not as jucy as the Jersualem Post Headline we see above.