Choosing God - Chosen by God: Conversations with Jean-Marie Lustiger
Choosing God - Chosen by God: Conversations with Jean-Marie Lustiger
Ignatius Press. Out of print book.
Choosing God, Chosen by God was an engaging encounter with the thoughts, convictions, life and faith of Cardinal Lustiger, who was Archbishop of Paris, and one of the most articulate and intriguing voices in the Church until his death in 2007. In a wide-ranging and in-depth interview, Lustiger--a convert from Judaism--provides insights into his own life as well as answering many spiritual questions.
Born Aaron Lustiger in Paris to a Polish Jewish family who had settled in France before the first world war, he was sent to live with a Christian family in Orléans after the Germans occupied France in 1940. He converted to Catholicism in 1940, at the age of 13. His parents were deported and his mother was murdered in Auschwitz.
Cardinal Lustiger was educated at the Sorbonne and the Catholic Institute of Paris and was ordained a priest in 1954, at the age of 27. From 1954 to 1959, he served as chaplain of the University of Paris. In 1959, he became director of the Richelieu Centre, which trains university chaplains, and in 1969 he assumed the position of pastor of the Church of Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal in the 16th district of Paris. He served as bishop of Orléans from 1979 to 1981 and as archbishop of Paris from 1981 to 2005. In 1983 he was elevated to the position of cardinal.
Although he rarely spoke publicly about his personal history, Cardinal Lustiger's life and work illustrated his deep respect for both Judaism and Catholicism. He strove constantly to build bridges of interfaith and interethnic understanding and was an outspoken opponent of racism and antisemitism.
In conjunction with the World Jewish Congress, Cardinal Lustiger cofounded the Yahad-In Unum association, which promotes Jewish-Catholic cooperation, joint social relief programs, and common moral values throughout Europe. With his personal support and encouragement, Yahad-In Unum undertook a project to identify and mark hundreds of previously unknown mass graves of Jews murdered in the Ukraine during the Holocaust and to take testimonies from still living eyewitnesses of mass shootings of Jews. The Museum is working closely with Yahad-In Unum on this and related projects.
For Cardinal Lustiger, the Holocaust was the seminal event in European history, and he believed it was crucial to honour and remember the dead.
Author
Lustiger, Jean-Marie, Cardinal
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15E
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ISBN/Code: 898702305
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