New York, NY, June 27, 1996...The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) commended His Eminence Jean-Marie Cardinal Lustiger of the Archdiocese of Paris for publicly denouncing French priest Abbe Pierre's anti-Semitic remarks.

"We are pleased that Cardinal Lustiger has publicly recognized the severity and disturbing nature of Abbe Pierre's prejudiced and historically inaccurate remarks," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "We applaud the Cardinal for his important statements affirming the enduring strength of Christian/Jewish relations," he said.

As reported in Le Monde, Cardinal Lustiger spoke out against Abbe Pierre's Holocaust denial. He called Abbe Pierre's comparison of the acts of ancient Israelites to those of Nazis during the Holocaust "...naive and fundamentalist," stating, "It can legitimate all kinds of fanaticism. It ignores exegesis, both spiritual and historical, of both Jewish and Christian traditions."

Cardinal Lustiger described Abbe Pierre's remarks against Zionism as "an attack on Israeli policy and ... against Zionism and Jews in general."

Reaffirming the solid and irreversible relations between Christians and Jews, Cardinal Lustiger said, "The Christian position has been clear since Vatican II. There is no going back on it. On the contrary, Judaism's essence and reality is now recognized and acknowledged by Christians... this trend of mutual respect between Christians and Jews is irreversible."

In a recent letter to Cardinal Lustiger, ADL raised the issue of Abbe Pierre's questionable remarks.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.