Edith Stein

* Thank you for your Oct. 12 article regarding the canonization of Edith Stein (“Jewish-Born Nun, Killed by Nazis, Is Made a Saint”). As a Catholic convert who was born into a Jewish family, I am deeply ashamed (both as a born Jew and a converted Catholic) of the controversy surrounding the blessed event in Rome.

Surely, the tragedy of the Holocaust is an example of the worst dehumanization imaginable. However, will my Jewish people ever stop making demands for apologies? In blaming others and looking to the past events again and again, we resolve nothing. Worse: We are missing a vital point. It was easy to look away while evil ran amok, because the economy was improving and Hitler was given credit for this. As long as the economy is good, why get involved in moral issues? Does this sound familiar? Does “never forget” only apply to the most murderous conditions?

In the case of Stein, the Dutch paid a heavy price in the sacrificing of lives, many non-Jewish, because the Catholic bishops there did speak out against the Nazis.

JANET ASTEN

Rancho Mirage