Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan returned Friday from a six-day tour of Poland and Rome.

Dolan traveled alongside six Roman Catholic bishops and three rabbis. The group spent time in meetings, listened to lectures, and visited the Vatican and Auschwitz. The trip also coincided with the 40th anniversary of an important Vatican II document, Nostra Aetate, which addressed Catholic relations with other faiths.

Auschwitz has a reputation for being the worst of the Nazi-run prison camps.

"The cruelest and most vicious brutality of human beings occurred there," said the Rev. Steven Avella, professor of history. "There was intense destruction of the Jews at a really alarming rate. This site, more than any other, would epitomize the horror of the Holocaust."

Auschwitz was chosen as a site to visit because of its symbolism and significance.

"It reinforces a conviction to prevent something like this from happening again," said Kathy Heilbronner, assistant director of the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations. "The huge nature of the Holocaust is hard to get your mind around."

Dolan, who was installed as archbishop in 2002, was selected to be a part of this trip because of his standing as a newly appointed archbishop.

The purpose of a trip like this was to gain information and to listen to and learn from others, according to Avella.

"It is a study trip, an in-person learning experience," Avella said. "The overall goal is to learn from history and to carry those memories to the work we do today."

This goal is especially important because of the rocky past between Catholics and Jews. There has always been suspicion and conflict between the two communities, said Patrick Carey, professor of theology. The Second Vatican Council did a great deal to improve these relations, he said.

During the council, which lasted from 1962 to 1965, the Vatican came out with many declarations and constitutions, such as Nostra Aetate.

"It is a document out of the Vatican having to do with the way Catholicism deals with other religions. It included a rethinking of Judaism and an affirmation of the spiritual bond that exists between Jews and Catholics, as well as a denunciation of anti-Semitism," said Heilbronner. "It was nothing less than revolutionary at the time."

The trip took place at a fitting time since it is the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate.

Through this and similar events, relations between Catholics and Jews have improved.

"Locally there have been very good and warm relations in the last 30, 40 years." Carey said. "They realize that they pray to the same God and share many of the same scriptures."

Dolan's trip is expected to further improve these positive relations.

"It will advance dialogue and interaction between the Jewish and Catholic communities and will deepen the levels of understanding and common awareness," Avella said.

"This trip can help bring about better relationships, especially between leaders who have now shared similar events," Carey said. "It will help overcome hostilities of the past."

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 27, 2005.