Catholic Friends of Israel - Statement of Principles

Catholic Friends of Israel was founded by Don Kenner in 2004, adopting the following statement of principles:

• We are faithful Catholics who support the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel.
• We are faithful Catholics who wish to draw more attention to the plight of long-suffering Catholics and other Christians in the Muslim world.
• We are men and women of the Roman Catholic faith who are mindful of the resurgence of virulent anti-Semitism. We want our Church to be on the right side of the most important issue for Catholics in the 21st century.
• We are not a dissident organization. We accept the teachings of the Church. Our organization is not a front group to promote a single issue under the guise of Catholicism (e.g., "Catholics for Choice").
• We believe there are millions of Catholics who represent an untapped resource for support of the Jewish State and its right to defend itself from terrorism.
• We want to be a source of information for Catholics on the Arab-Israeli conflict, monitor anti-Israeli bias in the Catholic press, and resist attempts to politicize our sacred liturgy with a pro-Palestinian spin.
• We take as our starting points:
  • 1) The work of the Holy Father John Paul II in promoting respect and mutual understanding with our "elder brothers" the Jews,
  • 2) the positive changes in Catholic-Jewish relations since Vatican II, and
  • 3) the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the Jewish State.
• Catholic Friends of Israel does not endorse any political party, but does comment on candidates, platforms, policy positions, and elections, while being ever-mindful that Catholics consider a variety of issues when voting.