CATONSVILLE, Md. (AP) — Cardinal William Keeler, who helped ease tensions between Catholics and Jews and headed the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the U.S. for 18 years, has died. He was 86.
Archbishop William Lori announced in a statement that Keeler died early Thursday at St. Martin's Home for the Aged in Catonsville, Maryland. No cause of death was released.
Keeler retired in 2007 as the head of the archdiocese of Baltimore.
He devoted much of his clerical life to improving ties with other denominations, especially Jews. From 1992 to 1995, he was president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. He also served as moderator for Catholic/Jewish Relations and was a member of the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
Keeler urged religious leaders to tackle the world's problems together.
