Pave the Way Foundation (PTWF) headed by Gary Krupp is a non-sectarian organization whose mission is to identify and eliminate non-theological obstacles between religions.
The organization is dedicated to achieving peace by addressing intolerance, furthering education, and practical relations between religions through cultural, technological, and intellectual exchanges.
In September 2000, in recognition of donating over 20 years of consulting services and negotiating the acquisition of medical equipment resulting in millions of dollars in savings to Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy,[1] Gary Krupp was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II, only the seventh Jew to be so honored.
[2] PTWF has developed a Palestinian-Israeli Prosperity Plan that is designed to help provide meaningful jobs and thereby reduce one of the fundamental factors that contribute to hostilities and violence.
[7] PTWF has commended Islamic clerics who condemn violence in the name of their religion, explaining that such statements are important "in bringing an end to the chain of violent events that now endanger every human being on the planet.
Krupp has lobbied the Israeli government to address the concerns of the Vatican on matters including the legal status of Catholic entities in Israel, issue of visa for Church employees and access of pilgrims to major shrines.
When Israeli representatives withdrew from negotiations between the Catholic Church and Israel over proposed legislation relating to the Fundamental Agreement of 1993, Krupp acted as lead mediator between the two sides.
"[15] As a result of Gary Krupp's unique position as a Jewish man invested in both Catholic and Anglican Orders of Chivalry, he has been able to arrange for the mutual exchange of and access to, priceless historical artifacts and ancient documents of incalculable religious, theological, and societal significance.
This ongoing project began as an effort to open the Vatican Library for the study of the previously unavailable writings of the 12th century Rabbi, philosopher, and physician Moses Maimonides.
[16][17][18] Pave the Way initiated the Vatican loan of Maimonides’ works, along with other rare Hebrew manuscripts, for exhibit in Jerusalem, at the Israel Museum's 40th anniversary, September 27, 2005.
As a public venue, the exhibition greatly increased the exposure, to a modern audience, of the ancient philosophy of reconciliation and tolerance between religions put forth by this widely revered luminary.
[21] Collaborating with noted scholars of Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies, Pave the Way Foundation takes an active role in disseminating information, providing education and lectures to communities who might otherwise not have access to materials beyond their local resources.
[22] In 1971, the Turkish government closed the Halki seminary (Heybeliada), the oldest and most important religious education institution in the Christian Orthodox Church, creating a grave crisis.
On July 5, 2012, Professor Mehmet Gormez, the highest Muslim authority in Turkey, made an unprecedented historic visit to Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I.
On that day he embraced the Patriarch and called for the reopening of the Halki seminary in the name of Islam and stated: "As the Religious Affairs Directorate, we see non-Muslim citizens living in Turkey as an integral part of this country.
"[28] The New York Times reported that "several historians called to ask him to cancel his three-day conference in Rome, which ultimately drew many Vatican-friendly scholars but few with independent credentials".
[10] Rabbi Eric Silver of Temple Beth David in Cheshire, Connecticut, who took part in the event, said: "We studied the documents in the Vatican’s archives and had eye-witness interviews, and what we learned was truly world-shaking.
[39] holds a PhD in history from Harvard University and La Sapienza University in Rome, wrote the following: "Having engaged in serious Holocaust research for the last 35 years, though my research has focused almost purely on individuals who sheltered, protected and in fact saved countless Jewish lives, after having reviewed Gary Krupp's compilation of documents in defense of Pope Pius XII, (Eugenio Pacelli), in two words, I have found his book astonishing and overwhelming.
[40] Dr. Oliveri also stated, "That it is regrettable, the critics of the Pius XII documents project have resorted to personal attacks against Mr. Krupp, rather than register to actually come on to the site and examine the vast treasure trove of primary source information.
References to dramatic new findings exonerating the Pope need to be understood in the context of Vatican officials essentially cherry-picking and spoon feeding this material.
After the war the Pope was rightly criticized for his paucity of attention to/comment upon the grave moral crisis during which 2/3 of European Jewry was exterminated while the world (and he) silently looked-on or away.
The issue at hand is not whether the Pope had a good heart or even a best friend during childhood who was Jewish (RE: the latter he apparently did according to testimony provided at the conference) but rather whether he behaved as a truly righteous soul in his position ought to have.
Pope Benedict XVI has offered his thanks "to the Pave the Way Foundation for its ongoing activity in promoting relationships and dialogue between religions, as witnesses of peace, charity, and reconciliation.
"[28] Rabbi Carlos C. Huerta, Chaplain (Major) United States Military Academy at West Point said of PTWF: "without organizations like yours our world would be far worse than it is and religious intolerance would be so rampant.
and that "He may be well-meaning, but his lack of experience in international affairs and historical research makes Mr. Krupp highly vulnerable to being manipulated by factions inside the Vatican.
"[10] Eric Greenberg, Director of Interfaith Policy at the New York-based Anti-Defamation League asserted "Whether he [Gary Krupp] understands it or not, he is waging a campaign of misinformation...He's been given out-of-context documents and is coming to overblown conclusions about Pius XII's personal involvement and that is a disservice to historians and to the historical truth.
[41][42] O'Shea commented on the claims made by Pave the Way "To use the Campagna files to suggest that Pope Pius XII was active in attempting to rescue Jews is to demand something that historical record cannot sustain,"[43] In 2011, Pave the Way published claims that a new document they had recently uncovered showed that Pius XII had been pressured by the allies not to make a radio broadcast that would save the lives of Hungarian Jews.