New York, NY, May 3, 2000… The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) mourns the passing of John Cardinal O'Connor, a compassionate leader, friend and a man devoted to serving the community of all people.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

John Cardinal O'Connor was a man devoted to God and to a vocation of serving his Catholic community. He promoted harmony among the many diverse religious communities of New York and forged a close bond with the Jewish community.

We will greatly miss the special relationship we have shared with Cardinal O'Connor during his years in New York. He was always stalwart in his support for the Jewish community and remained a tireless advocate for improving and expanding the Catholic-Jewish relationship.

Through his work, prayers and spiritual guidance, Cardinal O'Connor found common ground with the Jewish people. He denounced anti-Semitism in all forms, declaring the hatred of Jewish people "a sin" and expressed unequivocal support for the State of Israel The horror of the Holocaust weighed heavily on him and was present in his thought and preaching.

He was a man of God in every sense and a true friend whose visionary wisdom, advice and leadership will be sorely missed.

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.