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              ADL Welcomes Vatican-Israel Formal Diplomatic Ties            
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  US Newswire: Following is the statement issued by Melvin Salberg, ADL     
  national chairman, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director:          
  We welcome the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the   
  Vatican and Israel.  We are gratified that the Holy See has unequivocally 
  recognized the Jewish state as a sovereign government, joining the 133    
  other states that have already done so, and will join in the fight        
  against anti-Semitism.                                                    
  This is a notable moment in the relationship of Catholicism and Judaism.  
  It is our hope that with the recognition of the historical reality of the 
  Jewish people and the Jewish state the special Catholic-Jewish            
  association will be strengthened.                                         
  Following the exchange of ambassadors, we hope Pope John Paul II will     
  visit Israel to experience the breadth and richness of Israeli society.   
  Such a visit can lead to better understanding and cooperation and could   
  serve to promote goodwill among the peoples of the Middle East.           
  We are hopeful that international Catholic-Jewish educational efforts     
  that began with Vatican II to eradicate prejudice and classical anti-     
  Judaism in the teaching of religious traditions will now move forward.    
  We look forward to a new phase in the historical Catholic-Jewish          
  relationship that promises mutual understanding and friendship.           


