SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mormon church leaders have apologized to the family of Holocaust survivor and Jewish rights advocate Simon Wiesenthal after his parents were posthumously baptized in a Mormon temple ritual last month.
Salt Lake City researcher Helen Radkey found documentation of the baptism while conducting regular checks of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints genealogical database last week.
READ MORE: California's New Late Start Law Aims To Make School Less Of A YawnMormons believe posthumous baptism by proxy rites allow deceased persons to receive the Gospel in the afterlife.
The baptism of Holocaust victims was supposed to be barred by a 1995 agreement between the church and Jews, although some submissions continue by church members.
READ MORE: CHP: DUI Suspect Crashes On I-80, Tries To Grab Officer’s GunChurch officials say the person who entered the names into the database has been disciplined.
In a statement, the California-based Wiesenthal Center expressed outrage and called the rite insensitive.
MORE NEWS: Rices Fire Updates: Acreage Stays At 904, Containment Up To 12%Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
