STRENGTHENING THE BONDS
OF JUDEO-CHRISTIANITY

 

 

ADL rabbi knighted by Pope

 

 

Catholic-Jewish Relations Pioneer
Named By Pope To Receive Highest Church Honor
ADL Monday, 26 March 2007

NEW YORK — Rabbi Leon Klenicki, Director Emeritus of Interfaith Affairs of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), has been named a Papal Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Benedict XVI, for his historic contributions in improving the relationship between Catholics
and Jews.

The Papal Order of Saint Gregory is the highest honor the Catholic
Church confers on a layperson, in recognition of "Outstanding Services Rendered to the Welfare of Society and the Church". This Pontifical Honor of Knighthood is conferred by the Holy Father on his own initiative and at the recommendation of diocesan bishops who present worthy candidates to the Holy Father.

Rabbi Klenicki becomes the second ADL interfaith official to receive
papal knighthood. In 1986, the late Dr. Joseph L. Lichten became the first American Jew to receive the honor when Pope John Paul II named him a knight commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. Rabbi Klenicki, a renowned scholar and theologian, now joins a select group of living Jews, and only a handful of rabbis, who have been so honored by the Vatican.

"We are extremely proud that Rabbi Klenicki's decades of work to help reconcile the Catholic and Jewish faiths have been recognized by Pope Benedict XVI with this unique papal honor," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "We can think of no one more deserving of this honor than Rabbi Leon Klenicki," who has worked tirelessly and passionately to bring about mutual understanding and respect between the two faiths."

Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, who will present a scroll from the Holy See as a formal recognition of Knighthood, and the medallion and sword which are the insignia of the Order, said, " Rabbi Klenicki has been a pioneer in Jewish-Catholic relations for decades.

His own personal experiences of anti-Semitism led the Rabbi to be a
passionate advocate for education as means of dispelling religious prejudice and promoting inter-religious collaboration. Rabbi Leon Klenicki's life has been the source of blessings for all of us, we are deeply grateful for his witness and his work."