'Baptism' of WW2 Jews to be halted

Published on Wednesday 1 September 2010 16:20

The Mormon church says it has changed its genealogical database to better prevent the names of Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps from being submitted for posthumous baptism by proxy.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes the baptism gives deceased people in the afterlife the opportunity to receive the Gospel.

Church members are baptised in the place of people whose names are drawn from a church-run database.

Jews are offended by the idea that Mormons are trying to alter the religion of Holocaust victims, who were murdered because of their religion.

In 1995, the church agreed to eliminate most Holocaust victims from baptism. But database monitoring found the names were still submitted.

The Mormon church and the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors said yesterday the database has been improved.