New York Mass among international events honoring Holocaust hero

Published: 2004-06-22

NEW YORK (CNS) -- A Portuguese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews fleeing the Nazis during World War II was honored during a Mass in Yonkers, N.Y. The June 17 Mass commemorated the 50th anniversary of Aristides de Sousa Mendes' death and was part of a weeklong series of international events to honor the diplomat, who served as Portuguese consul general in Bordeaux, France, during World War II. Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Vatican nuncio to the United Nations, was celebrant and homilist for the Portuguese Mass at Our Lady of Fatima Portuguese Roman Catholic Center. Father Osvaldo Franklin, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima, said in a telephone interview June 18 that the Mass was attended by the Portuguese ambassador to the United Nations, Goncalo Aires de Santa Clara Gomes, and additional officials of Portugal and other countries. In the English text of the homily released by the Vatican's U.N. mission in New York, Archbishop Migliore said that, although "not many of us had the opportunity to personally know Dr. de Sousa Mendes," people were glad to thank God for a man who showed "clarity of mind and integrity of spirit in refuting the seeds of hatred and racism that were lurking in the political and social decisions against the Jewish people."

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