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NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) He may have died 14 years ago, but that has not kept Cardinal John OConnor, the late Archbishop of New York, out of the news.
As CBS 2s Tony Aiello reported, this Prince of the Catholic church was, technically speaking, Jewish.
He had great love and admiration for his Jewish brothers and I think he would have been pleased, Mother Agnes Donovan explained.
Mother Donovan was a close associate of the late Cardinal OConnor and called the news a wonderful surprise.
Research into OConnors family background showed that his mother, born Dorothy Gumple, was Jewish. She converted to Catholicism in 1908.
Basically Jewish law says if your mother is Jewish youre Jewish. The law also says once a Jew always a Jew. So, I guess he was Jewish, Abraham Foxman, Anti-Defamation League, said.
The story was first told in the Archdiocese newspaper, Catholic New York.
Cardinal OConnors sister told the paper that their mother never talked about converting. They assumed she had been Lutheran before becoming Catholic.
More here:
New Research Shows Cardinal John OConnors Mother Was Born Jewish