El Sr. Eduardo Eurnekian, presidente de la Fundación Raoul Wallenberg, y el Sr. Baruj Tenembaum, fundador de la misma, recibieron una carta del Monseñor Loris Francesco Capovilla, quien fuera el Secretario Personal del Papa Juan XXIII y una de las personas más allegadas a dicho pontífice .

El Monseñor Capovilla, Arzobispo de Mesembria, de 97 años, se excusa de no poder participar de la Conferencia Roncalli, que tendrá lugar el lunes 29 de abril, y por medio de los Sres. Eurnekian y Tenembaum, envía su fraternal saludo a los organizadores y participantes de este importante evento.

Capovilla agradece a la Fundación Raoul Wallenberg por la distinción que le será otorgada por dicha institución en reconocimiento a "su contribución, por más de medio siglo, para mantener viva la memoria de Juan XXIII".

Capovilla también destaca el hecho que es uno de los miembros honorarios del Comité Internacional Angelo Roncalli, fundado por la FIRW, y se siente emocionado por el hecho de que Jorge Mario Bergoglio - el Papa Francisco - también es miembro honorario de dicha institución.

Capovilla destaca que «Las similitudes entre Bergoglio y su Roncalli son lo suficientemente numerosas como para impulsarlo a decir que «el Papa Juan XXIII ha retornado»

El anciano arzobispo culmina su carta diciendo: "Os agradezco nuevamente. No podré estar con ustedes en persona pero mi corazón late con el vuestro en memoria de nuestro incomparable héroe, Raoul Wallenberg. Abrazo a todos vosotros y os bendigo".

Eduardo Eurnekian expresó la profunda emoción que le provocó la lectura de esta carta: "Las palabras del Monseñor Capovilla, uno de los más estrechos colaboradores del Papa Juan XXII, nos conmueven y nos estimulan a seguir con nuestra sagrada misión de reconocer y agradecer a aquellos héroes, como Wallenberg y Roncalli, que con sus acciones, nos enseñaron el significado de la palabra solidaridad"

Texto de la carta de Monseñor Capovilla

Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII, 11 aprile 2013
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF PACEM IN TERRIS

Mr. Eduardo Eurnekian – Chairman of the IRWF
Mr. Baruch Tenembaum – Founder of the IRWF.

LORIS FRANCESCO CAPOVILLA
ARCIVESCOVO DI MESEMBRIA

Dear and noble Mr. Tenembaum, Founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, and dear colleagues, friends and participants in the meeting of Monday, April 29 at Konrad-Adenauer-Conference Center / Mishkenot Shaananim in JERUSALEM.

I greet you with respect and esteem, with ineffable emotion because of the drama you evoke; drama which humanity must take on to reach the frontiers of the civilization of love.

Thank you for the honor you have conferred on me, motivated, as you state, for my having contributed over half a century to keep the memory of John XXIII alive. I did not deserve so much.

Your kindness has far exceeded the merit of the contribution I wanted to make to truth, justice and solidarity.

I had the honor of living next to John XXIII wise, virtuous man who was docile to the
inspirations of the Almighty. François Mauriac wrote of him:

"This Pope was humble. The Spirit did not find obstacles in him and that's why his papacy had but a few years: because it would open a crack in grace that will last for centuries. Through this crack, the Spirit will pass with nothing being able to stop it. He was Pope of hope, and what hope! Sure, we had always believed that one day there would be on earth one flock under one shepherd, but only at the end of time. We know now that this reality is on the way, and that this journey will last thousands of years. But it has already begun." (Testimonianze, VI-VII. 1963). Also thanks to him the whole human family, under the gaze of God, and will be a united, just and generous.

I am very pleased that, for years, you have welcomed me among the honorary members of the Angelo Roncalli International Committee and with happy surprise I read between the famous names also the name of Jorge Mario Bergolio, from 13 March successor of the Apostle Peter, and who has chosen the name of Francis. The similarities between him and his predecessor John are numerous enough to push me to say, on several occasions: Pope John has returned.

Dear friends. With the name of Pope Roncalli you have set up a foundation in memory of his actions during the crucial years of Nazi persecution, in his capacity as papal representative in Turkey (1935-1944). There, he made a commitment to service and placing Jews to hospitable lands, an episode for which the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem went to Istanbul to pay tribute to “Mgr. Delegate.” Indeed, according to the chronicles of the time, a ship carrying many Jewish children and adults was directed to a safe port, thanks to the direct intervention of the Apostolic Delegate, thereby avoiding almost certain death in one of the extermination camps organized by the Nazis.

On October 17, 1962 Pope John XXIII received in audience at the Vatican 130 people from the United Jewish Appeal: Jewish Study Mission (USA). Rabbi Herbert Friedman, after thanking the Holy See for what he did in favor of the Jews, explicitly stated: "... In a Europe that was almost completely silent, you protested against the inhumanity of anti-Semitism, lavishing it with actions to save human lives "(Israele, la terra del latte e del miele. Vincere la Pace. Litografia Orobica. Bergamo 1994).

I thank you again. I will not be there in person but my heart beats with yours in the memory of the incomparable hero Raoul Wallenberg. I embrace and bless you all.

Most affectionately,

+ Loris Francesco Capovilla
ARCHBISHOP OF MESEMBRIA
TITLE OF ANGELO GIUSEPPE RONCALLI (1934-1953)