NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- A monument dedicated to the memory of the 6 million Jews who died in the Nazi Holocaust has been erected on the grounds of the North American Pontifical College in Rome.

      The dedication of the memorial on April 13 brought together Catholic and Jewish leaders, and marked the beginning of an exchange program through which Catholic seminarians and Jewish students will study in each other's institutions, in an effort to deepen mutual understanding.

      Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, who came from the United States to preside over the dedication ceremonies, said that two historic events in the year 2000 should bring Catholics and Jews closer together. He was referring to a scheduled Vatican symposium on Catholic-Jewish relations, tentatively scheduled for October 3, 2000, and the anticipated trip by Pope John Paul II to Jerusalem.

      On April 14, the participants in the dedication ceremony received special greetings and acknowledgement from Pope John Paul II at the end of the Pope's regular public audience.