Bishop awarded for work on Catholic/Jewish relations

Yesterday, Bishop Charles Henderson was presented with the Interfaith Gold Medallion by Sir Sigmund Sternberg KCSG, Patron of the International Council of Christians and Jews. The award was made for his contribution towards developing understanding and good relations between the Jewish and Catholic communities. Bishop Henderson has been chairman of the Committee for Catholic/Jewish Relations of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales since 1992. He said: "I am privileged and delighted at this honour, which I accept as a recognition of the expert work of the members of the Committee for Catholic/Jewish Relations. I hope that it will make Catholics more aware of the teaching of the Church and the need to build further on the positive relationship that already exists between our two faiths, in the interests of the common good. As there is still much work to be done, this occasion will hopefully offer the encouragement required and the gratitude deserved." Bishop Henderson was born in 1924, ordained priest in 1948, and ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark in 1972. He has also been Chairman of the Bishops' Committee for Other Faiths since 1984. The Interfaith Gold Medallion is funded solely and independently by the Sternberg Charitable Foundation, and recipients are selected by a panel which includes members of the Executive of the International Council of Christians and Jews. Previous recipients have included King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Sofia of Spain, Mrs Mary Robinson (former President of Ireland), the late Cardinal Basil Hume, Cardinal Edward Cassidy and Yehudi Menuhuin. Sister Margaret Shepherd, Director of the Council of Christians and Jews, spoke at the ceremony.