American Jewish Committee leader tells Pope Francis: ‘you are our true friend’

February 14, 2014

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has released excerpts of remarks made by its president, Stanley Bergman, during a February 13 audience with Pope Francis.

Bergman, who became AJC president in June, is also the chairman and CEO of Henry Schein, Inc., a dental, medical, and veterinary product company with $8.9 billion in annual sales and 16,000 employees.

“We come here feeling deeply that you are our true friend and we feel that we are yours,” said Bergman. “We are profoundly grateful for your commitment to the Catholic-Jewish relationship.”

The Pope’s upcoming visit to Israel, said Bergman, is “eagerly anticipated, and we pray that it will be an inspiration to all in the region to reject the path of violence and pursue the path of peace.”

“We take comfort in the fact that perhaps the safest place for Christians in the region today is in the Jewish state,” Bergman added.

 

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Further information:

• Pope Francis Receives AJC Leadership Delegation at Vatican (American Jewish Committee)
• Stanley M. Bergman Elected AJC President (American Jewish Committee)
• Board of Directors (Henry Schein)
• Pope tells American Jewish Committee: dialogue must reflect 'our relationship with God' (CWN, 2/13)