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People of all faiths will come together this
summer to share in an historic exhibition at Duquesne
University: A Blessing to One Another: Pope
John Paul II and the Jewish People. This
first-of-its-kind exhibit includes photos, video
footage, documents and artifacts recording the
extraordinary contributions of Pope John Paul
II to relations between the Catholic and Jewish
faiths.
In the course of his papacy, John Paul II shattered
the chain of 2,000 years of painful history between
Catholics and Jews, becoming the first pope ever
to enter a synagogue, officially visit and recognize
the State of Israel, and formally engage in an
act of repentance for the Catholic Church's historical
treatment of Jews.
The exhibit drew its name from the pope's 1993
appeal marking the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw
Ghetto uprising: "As Christians and Jews,
following the example of the faith of Abraham,
we are called to be a blessing to the world. This
is the common task awaiting us. It is therefore
necessary for us, Christians and Jews, to first
be a blessing to one another."
The exhibit will be open from May 15 to August
11, 2006, in Mellon Hall at Duquesne University.
Plan your visit.
 More
than a mere historical exhibit, A Blessing
to One Another is an interactive experience
that allows visitors to follow in John Paul II's
footsteps from his childhood to his role as head
of the world's largest church. The exhibit is
divided into four major sections, reflecting the
four periods in the pope's life. Visitors become
part of the documentary, walking through a multi-sensory
experience: backdrops of enlarged photos and period
postcards supporting artifacts tragic and triumphant,
all set against evocative soundscapes.
The first section of the exhibit centers on Wadowice,
Poland. There, the future pope, Karol Wojtyla,
grew up in an apartment owned by a Jewish family
and established many friendships with Jewish children,
including lifelong friend Jerzy Kluger. Visitors
view Wojtyla's baptismal certificate and school
records, and see the world as it looked from his
bedroom window. They also explore Jewish life
in Wadowice as well as the interaction between
the Catholic and Jewish communities.
In the second section, visitors follow Wojtyla's
path to Krakow and enter the dark years of World
War II through a replica of the Krakow Ghetto
gate. During the Nazi occupation, the future pope
was forced to take his university studies underground
while working in a factory by day. It was far
worse for his Jewish friends and neighbors. Displayed
in this area are somber reminders of the Holocaust,
including prayer shawls and shoes from the Holocaust
Museum at Auschwitz.
The third section of the exhibit traces Wojtyla's
rise from priest to bishop to cardinal. During
this period he participated in the Second Vatican
Council's dramatic change in the Church's relationship
with other religions. As bishop of Krakow he also
established close and personal ties with the Jewish
community. Among the artifacts in this section,
visitors find the biretta worn by Wojtyla when
he became a cardinal and handwritten notes for
one of his books.
 The
final section celebrates John Paul II's papacy.
It features a ceremonial lamp and papal vestments
from the 2002 World Day of Prayer at Assisi, videos
of religious and world leaders speaking with the
pope, and a replica of Jerusalem's Western Wall.
Visitors are encouraged to write a prayer and
place it in the wall, emulating the pope during
his historic visit to Israel. As they move out
of the exhibit, visitors are also able to touch
a bronze sculpture of the late pope's hand.
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