Boston, MA, February 22, 2006 ... The Anti-Defamation League (ADL)New England Region congratulated Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley on the announcement by Pope Benedict XVI of his elevation to the position of Cardinal of the Boston Roman Catholic Archdiocese.

ADL New England Regional Board Chair Dennis Kanin and Regional Director Andrew Tarsy issued the following statement:

We offer the Archbishop and the Boston Catholic community our sincere best wishes in this historic occasion. This news marks a new period of opportunity for relations between Jews and Catholics in Boston. We look forward to continuing the work of our predecessors, with serious dialogue on issues of import to deepen our understanding of and respect for each other. In a time when virulent anti-Semitism is back in full force in the world, the importance of dialogue and building relationships has never been more pronounced."

ADL has enjoyed a long and unique relationship with the Boston Archdiocese, from the 1999 joint Catholic-Jewish leadership Mission to Rome and Israel to the continuing partnership between the Archdiocese and ADL on the "New Directions" program which teaches local Catholic educators the doctrines of the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate. Nostra Aetate, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, reversed centuries of Catholic teaching of the deicide and the idea of contempt for Jews based on their responsibility for the death of Jesus.

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.