The Legacy of Pope John Paul II for Catholic-Jewish Relations

Forty years ago, the Second Vatican Council promulgated a document known as Nostra Aetate, which transformed Catholic attitudes and teaching toward Jews and Judaism.

This document declared that any attempt to present the Jews as rejected or cursed by God was wrong. It rejected the idea of Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus. It affirmed with the words of the Apostle Paul (Romans 9:4-5) that the divine covenant with the Jewish people has not been broken and is eternal. It condemned anti-Semitism and affirmed that the "spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews" should lead to "mutual understanding and respect".

Nostra Aetate ushered in amazing changes in Catholic-Jewish relations around the world, even if the degree to which it was internalized depended on whether Catholics and Jews lived side by side. But it was Pope John Paul II who took this transformation to new heights and who has truly been a hero of the reconciliation process. During his pontificate he has published a number of remarkable Vatican documents relating to the Jewish people. He's hosted many receptions and audiences for Jewish groups. Wherever he has gone on his travels, he has made a point of including Jews in his agenda.

More important, he has spoken extensively and powerfully on this subject--describing and addressing the Jewish people as "the people of God of the Old Covenant never revoked by God" and calling for "joint mission of witness to the Name of One God by Jews and Christians in and for the world."

In so doing he has crossed the "t"s and dotted the "i"s of Nostra Aetate--clarifying categorically that the idea that the church has replaced the Jewish people is invalid and raising profound questions about the appropriateness of proselytizing.

The pope has made profound theological formulations concerning Christianity's relationship with Judaism; he has condemned anti-Semitism ("a sin against God and man"); and he's expressed a profound desire for Christian-Jewish reconciliation. But two powerful, unparalleled events have truly conveyed his commitment to Christian-Jewish reconciliation. These were his visit to Rome's synagogue in 1986 and his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2000.

His address at the Rome synagogue is among the most important texts in this revolution in Catholic-Jewish relations--but it was the image of the Pope embracing the rabbi and demonstrating fraternal love for the Jewish community that reached millions who could not be reached by his words.

No less impactful was the Pope's visit to Israel. In order to understand its historic and theological significance we need to recall that the traditional view of the church prior to Nostra Aetate was that the Jews were exiled from their land for their failure to accept the Christian faith and that they were condemned to wander as divine punishment. Thus, the Pope's pilgrimage, with all the aspects of an official state visit and witnessed by millions of people around the globe, demonstrated the repudiation of that idea. Indeed, Pope John Paul II went out of his way to ensure that full diplomatic relations betweeen the Holy See and the State of Israel were established well in advance of his visit to the Holy Land.

Continued on page 2: »