Church issues statement on Elie Wiesel name submissions.

Date
Feb 14, 2012
Type
Website
Source
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS
Hearsay
Direct
Reference

"Church Statement on Jewish Names Entered in Genealogical Database," Church Newsroom, February 14, 2012, accessed March 2, 2021

Scribe/Publisher
Church Newsroom
People
Elie Wiesel, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Audience
Reading Public
Transcription

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that they may be baptized by proxy for deceased ancestors who never had that opportunity. The policy of the Church is that members can request these baptisms only for their own ancestors. Proxy baptisms of Holocaust victims are strictly prohibited. In this case, the Wiesel family names were not submitted for baptisms but simply entered into a genealogical database. Our system would have rejected those names had they been submitted. In a few instances, names have been submitted in violation of policy. Whether this is done by simple error or for other reasons, the Church considers these submissions to be a serious breach of protocol. It is distressing when an individual willfully violates the Church’s policy and something that should be understood to be an offering based on love and respect becomes a source of contention. The Church will continue to do all it can to prevent such instances, including denying access to these genealogical records or other privileges to those who abuse them in this way.

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