The following declaration was read at the Friends of the St. Louis Reception and Dinner on November 5, 2000 in Ottawa, Canada
The Declaration
Archbishop Gervais read this formal declaration by representatives of the Canadian church.
We, as a body of concerned Christians representing many parts of the Church in Canada, humbly make this declaration to the survivors of the Holocaust and of the St. Louis ship.
In the merciful prompting of God, we have been in a long prayerful journey of several years to bring us to this historic occasion. Our sincere expressions today are the fruit of much travel, numerous consultations, sacrificial giving and active involvement of thousands of Christians across Canada.
We express our deep sorrow and genuine repentance for the sins of our forefathers and the consequent atrocities you have personally suffered.
We are grieved that in May 1939, Canada rejected the St. Louis ship carrying over 900 Jewish men, women and children looking for a place of refuge from the Nazi regime in Europe.
We are ashamed of the memory of Canada not honoring the commitment to bring a thousand Jewish children from a refugee camp in France to our shores in November 1942.
We admit that these two deplorable episodes were the result of strong anti-Semitic sentiment within Canada. The silence of the Canadian church supported the government's tragic policies and decisions.
We warmly express our love to you and to all Jewish people. We denounce any belief within the church that resulted in harmful attitudes and actions towards the Jewish people. We commit to promote a positive awareness of the rights of the Jewish people to live in dignity in Canada.
We pledge to continue our prayerful support for all Jewish people by heeding King David's exhortation in Psalm 122:6-9:
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls and prosperity within your palaces. For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, "Peace be within you." For the sake of the House of the Lord our God I will seek your good.
The Covenant
As the evening came to a close, David Demian led all those present in a covenant, between the church of Canada and the Jewish people. It was the covenant of Ruth, a Gentile, with Naomi, a Jewess:
Where you go, I will go
Where you stay, I will stay
Your people will be my people
And Your God my God.