To all the Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Islamic communities around the world.
Next August 4th, 2002 Raoul Wallenberg’s (August 4th, 1912 -?) 90th birthday will be celebrated. Wallenberg is the Swedish diplomat who saved the lives of tens of thousands of people, most of them Jewish, condemned to death by the Nazi regime during the Second World War. He disappeared after having been abducted by the Soviet Red Army in January 1945.
It is an honor for us to inform that the Archbishop of Buenos Aires and Primate of Argentina, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, has decided to remember Wallenberg’s person and actions during a Mass that will be celebrated at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral, Argentina´s main Catholic church, on August 4th at 11:00 AM. After the Mass Wallenberg will be remembered before the Holocaust Memorial Mural, installed inside the cathedral.
We hereby would like to propose that, as part of the Raoul Wallenberg commemorative activities, the authorities of your church, temple or mosque carry out a ceremony in celebration of the life and work of the ”Hero without a Grave”.
The values manifested by Wallenberg, as well as by other thousands, who helped other people in one of the most tragic periods in history, are everlasting and make no distinction of any kind. They are universal, ageless and dear to the millenary teachings of the three main monotheist religions.
This homage will link us in the preservation of solidarity and respect for our neighbours, remembering Wallenberg who is an emblematic example for present and future generations.
August 4, 2002
