Schuld en verantwoordelijkheid: de Katholieke Kerk en het Jodendom sinds 1945

Abstract

Guilt and Responsibility: The Catholic Church and Judaism after 1945 The Catholic Church considers the dialogue with Judaism as more or less parallel to the dialogue of the Church with Islam. This is a striking difference with many protestant denominations. The question of guilt for the anti-Jewish invectives within Catholicism, which has partly contributed to a climate of Antisemitism or at least to indifference for the plight of the Jews during the Second World War, has puzzled the Church for a long time. The cardinals Etchegaray and Martini, as well as pope John Paul II, have broken the silence by firm declarations and appeals to free the teaching of the Church from prejudice. The issue of guilt deserves a careful treatment in order to avoid a collective guilt for the past, which would work counter-productive. The issue of the attitude of pope Pius XII during the Second World War still burdens the Catholic-Jewish relations and remains a bone of contention among historians.