Jewish saint related to Public Policy professor

On an October day in Rome, economics and Public Policy Prof. Paul Courant sipped wine with 97 members of his extended family, 30 people and the host of his party - the Archbishop of Cologne.

The unlikely collection of guests characterizing Courant's first trip to the Vatican was the result of an unusual event - Pope John Paul II's decision to elevate Courant's grandfather's cousin Edith Stein to sainthood.

"Until this all came up, I didn't know anything about the Catholic Church," Courant said, laughing.

His laughter introduced the catch - Stein was born into an Orthodox Jewish family on Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, and nearly all of Courant's family is Jewish.

As a teenager, Stein described herself as an atheist until she joined the Roman Catholic Church in the early '20s and became a Carmelite nun several years later, earning her recognition in both religions during the peak of anti-semitism in Europe.

Stein appealed to Pope Pius XI to speak out against the Nazis in 1933 - an appeal ignored by the Pope.

"For a long time, it was known that certain parts of the Church wanted her to be a saint," Courant said. But he said the announcement still came as a surprise.

In 1987, Stein was "beatified" - the first step toward sainthood, which was protested loudly by Jewish leaders.

"This means she led a beautiful and worthy life," Courant said, adding that to become a saint one must fulfill certain requirements. Stein was considered a martyr but had to have one miracle attributed to her in order to reach sainthood.

"I thought, 'Hey, she's beatified, that's pretty cool,'" Courant said. "Most people don't go on to be a saint after that."

Ten years later, a friend walked up to Courant with another surprise - a copy of the Detroit Free Press that ran an article about Stein.

"I looked at it and saw that a miracle had been attributed to her. The Pope decided to officially make her a saint," Courant said, explaining that a young girl who had fallen ill had a miraculous recovery after praying to Stein.

The date for Stein's canonization was set for October 11, her birthday.

Stein, the first Jewish woman since the Virgin Mary, to be named a saint, was taken to Auschwitz on Aug. 7, 1942 and died in the gas chamber.

Stein's "case is very unique," said Elizabeth Martin, the director of religious education at St. Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church. The title of sainthood, Martin said, puts Stein among the Biblical saints, who were also converts from the Jewish faith.

"Sainthood doesn't happen that often," Martin said. "It's a recognition that someone lived an exceptionally holy life. "

Martin said Stein's sainthood means that Catholics believe she is in heaven and believers can pray to her.

The Vatican's decision to make Stein a saint placed Courant 150 feet away from the Pope during the 2 1/2 half hour ceremony.

"I started wondering, 'What am I doing here?'" Courant said.

He said his doubts stemmed not only from the realization that he was at an event he neither understood nor believed in, but also from the 100,000 people who came to take communion.

"At some point, I turned and looked at the crowd," Courant said. "It was amazing to see so many people. They were packed into St. Peter's Square and all the way down the hill.

"It was nothing but blue skies; it made you believe in miracles," Courant said. But he quickly added, "It would have been a drag if it were raining."

Courant said the Pope spoke of Stein mainly in German but addressed he and his family in English as the sun streamed across the faces of the crowd.

Although Stein's canonization stirred controversy from both Christian and Jewish groups, Courant said he didn't focus on the unfamiliarities of the situation while in Rome.

"I was so impressed by the sound system at the Vatican ... it's just superb," Courant said, comparing it to that of a rock concert. "I guess the Pope and the Rolling Stones have that in common."

Courant didn't get to talk to the Pope one-on-one. Instead he was swept off to a restaurant by the Archbishop of Cologne. He remembered the scene with pleasure, describing what he called one of the most memorable moments of the trip.

"One of my relatives turned to me and said, 'You know, Hitler thought he could kill the Jews. And he didn't. Here we are,'" Courant said. "It is neat to think that for all of the horrible things that happened to Jews, here we still are."

10-23-98