Nearly four years have passed since the election of Pope Benedict XVI. They have been marked by several eruptions of controversy. David Willey reflects on the performance so far of the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.  Click here to read the entire article.

POPE BENEDICT XVI ENCOURAGES CATHOLIC-JEWISH DIALOGUE

IN LOCAL CHURCHES AND SYNAGOGUES

By Gunther Lawrence

The first lay conference of 75 Catholic and Jewish representatives from 24 U.S. communities received the encouragement of Pope Benedict XVI as being “very important". While reports were presented of various existing activities, plans were outlined for more intensive educational programs for Jews and Catholics to study together such documents as Nostra Aetate and to become more active in community humanitarian programs and to encourage the education of young families and college students.

“We are friends in faith, and while friends may agree to disagree but they can do so in a friendly environment," emphasized Walter Cardinal Kasper, President of the Office of Pontifical Commission of Relations with the Jews to the participants.

Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary for Promoting Christian Unity added,” the Vatican has developed with Judaism a new degree of trust whereby our relationship becomes unlike that with any other faith, affording us the opportunity to discuss all problems and issues." He added," we can't change our history or the will of God."

The meeting was organized by the Interreligious Information Center of Port Washington, NY in cooperation with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Religious Action Center of the Union for Reform Judaism and the National Council of Synagogues. William Cardinal Keeler of Baltimore served as honorary chairman. 

The four day conference (October 21-25) moved the discussions to the grass-roots stage and beyond existing high level Vatican meetings that frequently do not reach the average congregation, synagogue or church member. Currently most of the Vatican meeting with Jews is limited to conversations with IJCIC, the International Committee for Interreligious Consultation, consisting of the World Jewish Congress, the American Jewish committee, ADL, representatives of the branches of Judaism and Israel.

While participants were pleased to learn that in many cities there exists both educational programs and joint activities like Thanksgiving, Yom Hashoah services and meetings on issues of common concern, they are limited. Furthermore, many of those participating from both faiths are members of the older generation and not young couples or young people.

We must now build on this friendly atmosphere between Catholics and Jews by utilizing existing educational material and visuals, providing community speakers, encouraging joint church-synagogue study programs and activities, Most important I believe that increased C/J relations can lead to the eventual inclusion of Muslim representatives and other faiths that can lead to the enrichment of a stronger religious environment and atmosphere in our country and set an example for others.

In addition, the institutions, both Catholic and Jewish, while agreeing that Catholic-Jewish relations are important; Rabbis, Priests, and local Catholic and Jewish organizations do not place these relations on a high priority scale. That is except when an issue develops, like the Mel Gibson JESUS film.

Rabbi Abie Ingber of Cincinnati, a vice-president of IIC and the creator of the John Paul II Exhibit now touring the U.S., emphasized that increased Catholic-Jewish relations can strengthen all faith groups in our country and help in the building of our democratic principles.  Ingber reported that activities currently engaged in Denver, Tampa, Kansas City, St. Paul, Los Angeles, Albany, and San Antonio and in Cincinnati, thanks to the active participation and interest of Father Michael Graham, President of Xavier University.

 We at IIC are planning another Vatican Lay Conference, a similar gathering in the U.S., a meeting at Xavier of college-age youth which would include discussions on intermarriage and forums of clergy both here and at the Vatican to discuss relations. We welcome all who wish to join us.
 

L'Osservatore Romano (21 March 2007): 5

In 1965 the declaration of the Second Vatican Council Nostra Aetate initiated the official dialogue of the Catholic Church with Judaism.

It states: "Since Christians and Jews have such a common spiritual heritage, this Sacred Council wishes to encourage and further mutual understanding and appreciation. This can be obtained especially by way of biblical and theological enquiry and through friendly discussions" (n. 4).

Today, in reviewing these 42 years of dialogue and the developments and results recorded, we cannot but feel gratitude to God for the ground covered; indeed, a firmer friendship and deeper reciprocal understanding have taken root.

A particularly important sign of all this is the "Day of Judaism," which was recently celebrated in Italy, Austria, and Poland. This annual event has as its goal the revival of knowledge of the Jewish roots of Christianity and of the theological connection that binds Christianity and Judaism. Its date if 17 January in Italy and several other countries directly precedes the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity; in a certain sense, theologically speaking, it is as if we had broadened our vision to recognize the Jewish origins of our Church and of all Christian communities.

Our common root is constituted by Judaism up until the second destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. The separation of the church from the synagogue was the first great division to have repercussions on the Church's life, and its effects were to be permanent.

Further divisions and distinctions between Christians occurred in the course of the centuries.

Thus, it is appropriate that the "Day of Judaism" should directly precede the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, although naturally, the purpose of interreligious dialogue differs from that of ecumenical dialogue among Christians.

While ecumenical dialogue aims for the "visible unity of the Church of Jesus Christ", the intention of interreligious dialogue is to foster reciprocal respect in friendship and collaboration for peace and justice in a mutual enrichment that enables each one to maintain his own identity. The dialogue between Jews and Christians fits into the context of interreligious dialogue but plays a quite special role of priority importance.

Christians, heirs to Jewish faith

The Judaeo-Christian tradition claims that God created man in his image and likeness (cf. Gn 1:26-27), endowing him with an inviolable dignity.

Both Jews and Christians recognize the holiness of human life since it comes from God. And Christians are inserted into the Jewish tradition of monotheism, which means the worship of the one and only God of Israel.

The then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in an article published in the Italian edition of L'Osservatore Romano on 29 December 2000 entitled, "The heritage of Abraham, a Christmas gift", stressed the connection between faith in the God of Israel and the Christian faith.

He said: "The task of the Chosen People, therefore, is to give their God, the one true God, to all the other peoples and, in fact, we Christians are heirs to their faith in the one God."

This idea was also presented by the Jewish side in the theological Declaration of 10 September 2000 entitled Dabru Emet (A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity To Speak the Truth): "Before the rise of Christianity, Jews were the only worshippers of the God of Israel. But Christians also worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Creator of Heaven and earth. While Christian worship is not a possible religious option for Jews... we rejoice that, through Christianity, hundreds of millions of people have been brought into contact with the God of Israel".

The very fact that Jews and Christians worship the one God and believe that man was created in the divine image highlights the specificity and oneness of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, as Cardinal Ratzinger wrote in the article cited above: "It is obvious that for us Christians our dialogue with the Jews is on a different level than our dialogue with other religions. The faith to which the Bible of the Jews testifies, the Old Testament of Christians, is not, in our opinion, another religion but the basis of our faith".

This assertion is linked to what Pope John Paul II said in his Speech during his Visit to the Synagogue of Rome on 13 April 1986: "The Jewish religion is not 'extrinsic' to us, but in a certain way it is 'intrinsic' to our own religion. With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion" (n. 4; L'Osservatore Romano English edition. 21 April 1986, p. 6).

In the light of these theological reflections, we see why the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews is located in the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity: to encourage dialogue with the Jews.

Every dialogue the Holy See has with other Churches and Religious Communities, with the religions and cultures of the world, has two dimensions: "ad intra" and "ad extra". All endeavours that have an impact on our Church and are destined for her are part of the dialogue "ad intra". This includes everything done to make the results and progress in the dialogue known at all ecclesial levels and to work out appropriate approaches and guidelines. The formation sector is particularly important in this context because it is the future generations that will be responsible for pursuing the dialogue with Judaism.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of Nostra Aetate, 27 October 2005, the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews invited its consultors and the delegations of the Bishops' Conferences responsible for dialogue with Judaism (Interreligious dialogue) in those countries where there is a lively Jewish community.