WANTAGH, N.Y. — It would be an understatement to say Long Island businessman Gary Krupp is a “dynamo.”
At the drop of a hat, he can rattle off dates in history, the particular traditions of all major religions, and their various leaders, especially the Roman Catholic Church and its Vatican hierarchy.
One might assume he is a lifelong Catholic, but he is not. Gary and his wife, Meredith, are Jewish.
The organization they co-founded, Pave the Way Foundation, helps foster mutual understanding and peace among religions. It was this work that brought them into contact, partnerships, and friendships with the last three popes.
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Tears welled in Gary’s eyes when asked for his response to Pope Francis’ death.
“Very sad,” Gary told The Tablet. “He was a very sweet, kind man.”
Gary’s voice trembled as he added, “It’s the third time it has happened to me. These people — I knew three of them.”
On the Pave the Way Foundation’s website, an artist’s rendering shows the past three popes — Pope St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis — all smiling and embracing in a brotherly group hug.
The inscription reads, “Pave the Way Foundation Misses Our Dear Friends.”
Each of these modern popes honored Gary with a papal knighthood, making him the seventh Jewish person in history to receive such an honor. Meredith, who goes by Merry, was (and still is) the first Jewish woman to be knighted when she was distinguished on Oct.1, 2018, concurrently with Gary’s third knighthood, that time by Pope Francis.
Thus, they are the first couple ever to be knighted together — Gary as Knight of the Grand Cross and Meredith as Dame of the Grand Cross, honors granted by the Order of St. Gregory the Great.
Merry recalls how, at one visit with Pope Francis in November 2016, she presented him with a new zucchetto. He happily swapped it for the one he was wearing, which he then gave to her. She said she cherishes it.
Merry described how Pope Francis always gave children front-row seats at his audiences and greeted them first, especially those in wheelchairs.
“It’s going to be a real loss for the Church,” she said. “He took his time with everybody. He wasn’t rushed. He made you feel special. It transcends religion.”
Gary, who worked in the medical equipment industry, was bestowed the title of Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory by Pope St. John Paul II in 2000 for his help in bringing medical equipment to the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza hospital of Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. Pope Benedict XVI would later advance him two degrees to Knight Commander with Silver Stars.
The Krupps co-founded the Pave the Way Foundation in 2002.
The Krupps subsequently made contacts with leaders of all major religions, including Judaism and Islam. They soon saw opportunities to mend differences and build peace through behind-the-scenes diplomatic discussions.
But first, Gary explained, they build trust by engaging people through “fantastic gestures.”
“We don’t deal with theology,” Gary said. “We deal with the practical aspects.”
For example, the foundation helped arrange the purchase of the Bodmer Papyrus by a private donor, which contains key references to the Gospels of Luke and John. The donor gifted these ancient texts to the Vatican Library.
That work prompted Pope Benedict to raise Gary to Knight Commander with Silver Stars. He described the manuscript as the “most valuable” in Christian history and noted that it also contains the “original written version of the Lord’s prayer.”
The Pave the Way Foundation is also working to find and publicize records to prove Pope Pius XII worked covertly to save 1 million Jewish lives during World War II. This information, Gary said, counters the narrative that Pope Pius XII was complicit in the Jewish Holocaust and an enabler for Adolf Hitler.
This work in defense of the Roman Catholic Church is what led Pope Francis to distinguish the Krupps as Knight and Dame of the Grand Cross of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great in October 2018.
The Krupps said they are happy to partner with the Church. Gary added that he remains in awe of its spiritual and corporal acts of mercy worldwide.
“The Catholic Church does it better than anyone,” Gary said, noting its building of schools, healthcare systems, and programs to help migrants and the poor. “I would tell [Catholics] ‘You should be very proud of your Church.’ ”