Abstract
This paper will focus on the Catholic Church in Israel’s experience of and reflections on Jewish-Christian dialogue after Nostra Aetate. The dialogue from this perspective is unique for reasons tied to the context of the dialogue. Firstly, of all the countries of the world, only in Israel are Christians a minority in a Jewish majority. Secondly, Catholics and Jews live in a state defined as Jewish. Thirdly, as most Catholics in Israel are Arabs, dialogue with Jews is also dialogue within the context of a national conflict, between Israelis and Palestinians. Religion has come to play an important role in this conflict. Fourthly, many Jews and Christians in Israel do not have their roots in the Western Christian world but rather in the Middle Eastern Muslim world, which cannot be ignored in the dialogue. All these factors make the interpretation and implementation of section 4 of Nostra Aetate and other guidelines on the dialogue particularly interesting. What perspectives on and challenges to the dialogue between Jews and Christians are discernible in the ongoing experience of the Israeli Jewish-Palestinian Christian dialogue today? Two appendices provide the full texts of recent documents from the Catholic Church in the region.
Highlights
Together with Catholics around the world, the Catholic Church of the Holy Land has celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the promulgation of the Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate)
Thirty years after the Second Vatican Council, the Local Church in Jerusalem reflected on the profound changes that had affected both Church and society in the Holy Land in the interim
The foundation for this openness is even more theologically grounded than at Vatican II since it draws on the theological developments since the Council, especially during the epoch of Pope John Paul II
Summary
At the Second Vatican Council, “the Church defined itself as a Church of dialogue deriving from its very identity, vocation and mission.”[12]. In some parts of the world, religion has become an incentive for divisions and strife and this makes dialogue among religions all the more necessary and urgent so as to find favour with God and to serve humanity and human society This dialogue does not mean enticing others to change their religion, but rather it means the coming together of the religions for the good of humanity, witnessing together, in any way possible, to human and spiritual values in the face of moral disintegration and the violation of the sanctity of the human being, whoever he or she might be. We hope that our Holy Land can become a unique and distinguishing place of coming together and of love among the religions, in the service of our societies and the universal service of humanity Everyone expects this corner of the world to be a source of inspiration because of its spiritual and social grandeur despite all the obstacles which oppose this dialogue. Even though Christians are few in number in their societies, this should not be a barrier to dialogue but rather a call to witness to the magnanimous values of the Gospel
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
