January 6, 2012 – New York – AJC congratulates New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan on being named Cardinal by Pope  Benedict XVI. The Pope will formally elevate Dolan at a Vatican ceremony on February 18.

"The Pope’s recognition of Archbishop Dolan is a testament to his extraordinary work and leadership,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with Cardinal Dolan as a cherished partner in advancing Catholic-Jewish relations.”

Appointed Archbishop of New York in 2009, and elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2010, Dolan has continually expanded his outreach to the Jewish community with a hand of friendship.

In a moving address to AJC’s Board of Governors during a Shabbat dinner in October 2010, Dolan reaffirmed the centrality of Catholic-Jewish relations to his work. Earlier that year, Dolan and Marans attended the Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany, and afterwards together engaged in conversation with the play’s directors and lead actors.

AJC’s pioneering work in Catholic-Jewish relations, in the United States and around the world, was recognized by one of Dolan’s predecessors. Cardinal O’Connor, who served as Archbishop of New York from 1984 to 2000, said, “No organization I know in this city, in this country, in this world, has done more to improve Christian—Jewish relations than the American Jewish Committee."