Apr 14, 2008 9:06 pm US/Eastern
Pope To Honor L.I. Jew For Work To Unite Religions
'Knighted' By 2 Pontiffs, Gary Krupp Invited To Washington
LONG BEACH, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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Gary Krupp, a Jew from Long Island, has already been "knighted" by two popes. He will assist Pope Benedict XVI in Washington during the pontiff's trip.
CBS
A Long Islander dedicated to achieving peace by bringing all faiths together is being honored by Pope Benedict XVI this week.
As CBS 2 HD found out the pontiff has already bestowed a rare "knighthood" on a Jewish man from Long Island.
"I was knighted by Pope John Paul II, then knighted by the Anglican church, and then knighted by Pope Benedict and I'm Jewish!" Gary Krupp said.
Vatican Knight Gary Krupp and wife Meredith of Long Beach are Jews with strong ties to Rome. Invited to Washington this week, Krupp will don the white gloves, hat, historical medals and dress uniform as a Knight of St. Gregory the Great.
"Secret Service told me to leave the sword at home," Krupp said as he modeled his uniform for CBS 2 HD.
The U.S. Secret Service is strict and the papal instructions confidential.
"The letter describes how we're going to meet the pope," Krupp said.
At Pope Benedict's Thursday session with representatives of Islam, Christian and Jewish religions, Krupp will be the only other member of the "papal household" present -- to deliver strong messages to the Catholic leader they so admire.
"When Meredith and I first met him we were astonished," Gary Krupp said. "He is simple but so brilliant."
Krupp's unique status as a Jew, knighted by two Popes, relates to his charitable work for a Catholic hospital in Italy, and his foundation: Pave the Way -- which strives to improve relations among religions.
"The enemies of mankind are not Muslims vs. Jews vs. Christians, this is not true," he said. "It is the extremists from within each religion."
The pope was impressed by Krupp's messages of accountability, as can be seen on the
Pave The Way Foundation Web site.
Recently the Krupps visited Auschwitz with Pope Benedict. A rainbow appeared, a signal to Krupp that the pope loves and respects all faiths.
Krupp hopes to get the Israeli government to normalize diplomatic relations with the Vatican, and the Muslim world.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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