Nostra Aetate Research Articles

A Response to the Responses

A Response to the Responses John T. Pawlikowski (bio) At the outset, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those who offered their incisive reflections on my article. They have written from the experience of many years of work on the issues raised by the long history of antisemitism in Christianity as well as in civil society. Each respondent brought vital questions and issues to the forefront in this complex discussion of the history and continued presence of antisemitism across the globe. They have added in different ways to an understanding of the wide contextual setting for this profound social disease, which has often reduced Jews to spiritual skeletons. All have constructively expanded our discussion of antisemitism. Let me make one important point at the beginning of this response. My original article was never intended to serve as a comprehensive introduction to the topic of antisemitism. Hence, my colleagues have expanded the parameters of my own article in important ways. My principal goal in writing my essay was to ask whether antisemitism has been successfully removed from Christian self-understanding in the almost 60 years that have passed since the issuance of Nostra Aetate at Vatican II. My personal answer is no, and I appreciate that all of the contributors to this forum, many of them with extensive experience in Christian-Jewish dialogue, [End Page 394] confirm my basic judgment and agree that considerable work still awaits the Christian community if antisemitism is finally to be removed from its basic proclamation. Readers will hopefully see that the cleansing process cannot be completed without a clear repudiation by Christian churches of the biblical texts and the widespread patristic teaching that laid the foundation for the theological gutting of the Jewish religious tradition and the social marginalization of Jews as a people throughout history. While today's patristic and biblical teachings about Jews and Judaism may not be overtly taught and preached as they were for centuries, the influence of this historic denigration on the consciousness of the Christian community will not be fully extricated without a clear repudiation of these texts. As I indicate in my article, the late Raymond Brown began such a process by unequivocally asserting that the passages in the Gospel of John in which Jews are described as under satanic influence can no longer be used in catechesis or liturgical celebration. Several contributors to this forum have rightly acknowledged certain Catholic documents, such as the statement on the Holocaust issued by the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews titled We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah1 and the controversial text released by the then Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) titled Dominus Iesus,2 caused dismay both within segments of the Catholic community as well as its ecumenical and interreligious partners, including Jews. Both documents created ambiguity regarding the Vatican's supposed new commitment to ecumenical and interreligious dialogue after centuries of promoting the notion of Catholic superiority. With regard to Dominus Iesus, several prominent Catholic leaders, such as Cardinals Walter Kasper and William Keeler, argued that the document did not pertain to the Jews but rather to certain situations in Asia. The logic of the document seems to include all who do not identify with Catholicism as their basic belief system. We Remember clearly refers to the Catholic-Jewish relationship. This document falsely claims that antisemitism was a marginal [End Page 395] Catholic outlook perpetuated by fringe and rogue elements in the Church. It also maintained that during the Shoah antisemitism was largely the work of pagans who attacked all religious belief, whether Christian or Jewish. Such statements are patently false in light of the historical record. There has been a persistent effort by some in the Church to say that antisemitism only took hold in deviant sectors of Catholicism. I recall a visit some years ago to Strasbourg, France, and its famous cathedral. The edifice is known for its face, which contains a depiction of the Christian-Jewish relationship through two women, one being young and vibrant representing Christianity and the other old and bedraggled holding a...

Nostra Aetate and Thomas F. Michel's Approach to Interreligious Dialogue

Nostra Aetate and Thomas F. Michel's Approach to Interreligious Dialogue

Nostra Aetate and Thomas F. Michel’s Approach to Interreligious Dialogue

Globalization has made interactions between Christians and Muslims not only inevitable but also very urgent. As Francis Arinze notes, “we are living in a world in which contacts between peoples, cultures, and religions are happily increasing.” Therefore, the need for healthy interaction has necessitated understanding the religious traditions of others. Nostra Aetate was the bedrock for the relationship between Catholics and non-Catholics. One of the fruits of Nostra Aetate was the institution of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID). As the Director of PCID, Thomas F. Michel SJ promoted programs that fostered conversations between Catholics and non-Catholics. According to Michel, three phrases from Nostra Aetate shaped his concept of interreligious dialogue: "The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the One, God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth "Since in centuries, not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Moslems. This sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom." According to Michel, these phrases from Nostra Aetate challenge Christians and Muslims to work together in four essential areas: 1) to build peace 2), to work for justice 3), to defend moral values, and 4), to work for freedom. Michel asserts that to respond to Nostra Aetate’s challenge, dialogue must go beyond theories and ideas; it must be institutionalized. Michel proposes practical dialogue as a key to an effective interfaith interaction that would transform society. This article analyzes Michel's approach to dialogue and contends that Nigeria should consider practical dialogue a significant component of interreligious dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

The Meaning of Jewish-Catholic Encounter in the Austrian Refugee Camps

This study takes its point of departure from reports of antisemitic incidents among Hungarians in Austrian refugee camps at the end of 1956. These incidents may have been provoked by agents from Communist Hungary who had penetrated the camps and found ground for provocation among the refugees. The author argues their true significance should be sought in the contemporary history of Catholic Hungary and Austria. Special attention is given to the biography of the journalist and historian, Friedrich Heer, and the priest, Leopold Ungar, who challenged the Austrian church to greater openness. An additional analysis is provided of the confrontation with the Catholic Jewish question conducted by Fathers György Kis, John Österreicher, and Alois Eckert. The engagement of Eckert and Ungar with the Hungarian refugees emerges as a prelude to the reconciliation of the Catholic Church with Judaism in the constitution Nostra Aetate of the Second Vatican Council.

The Concept Of Inter-religious Life In The Medina Charter And Nostra Aetate

The diversity of society gives rise to the diversity of beliefs and religions held by the community. However, unfortunately the progress of people's lives is not followed by the progress of inter-religious relations which cannot be separated from the protracted conflict. Followers of a religion often doubt the purpose of realizing inter-religious harmony initiated by a religion, even though there are two major world religions that both have religious documents that contain the concept of inter-religious life, namely Nostra Aetate (Catholic) and Medina Charter (Islam).This study was structured to answer academic problems, including (1) knowing the concept of inter-religious life in the Medina Charter, (2) knowing the concept of inter-religious life in Nostra Aetate, and (3) comparing the concept of inter-religious life in the two documents. This research, which is classified as comparative religious research and uses a deductive analysis knife. Based on the results of the analysis, it was found that the concept of inter-religious life in the Medina Charter is understood that every individual has the right to freedom of religion and emphasis on inter-religious unity. The concept of inter-religious life in Nostra Aetate contains several points of meaning. As for after the two documents were compared, it was found that the difference lies in the content of the text and the views of other people. The parallel side lies in the goal of the concept of inter-religious life. Further research in historical and linguistic studies will be able to further complement this study.

Integrating ecumenism and interreligious dialogue in peace education in the Philippines from a Catholic perspective

This study presents the importance of promoting interreligious dialogue and ecumenism in teaching peace education. It also discusses the applicability of selected papal documents for implementation in current interreligious education in Catholic and government schools in the Philippines. We explain the importance of interreligious dialogue and ecumenism from the Catholic Church documents Ut Unum Sint and Nostra Aetate. Then, we show the need for interreligious dialogue and ecumenism in achieving peace in this time when religion is misconstrued. Conclusions are given to lay out the need for interreligious dialogue and ecumenism to be integrated in peace education.

Catholic Doctrines on the Jewish People after Vatican II by Gavin D'Costa

Reviewed by: Catholic Doctrines on the Jewish People after Vatican II by Gavin D'Costa Lawrence E. Frizzell gavin d'costa, Catholic Doctrines on the Jewish People after Vatican II (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019). Pp. 240. €80. The potential for the impact of biblical scholarship on the modern world is profound and wide-ranging. Since the 1950s the collaboration among scholars of various religious heritages has been enriching in many ways. This has included a fruitful contribution by Jewish experts on the Hebrew Bible and its interpretation, moving from the varied literature of the Second Temple period to the rabbinic era and beyond. Now theologians are reviewing [End Page 132] the impact of these insights on the way the Christian message intersects with the Jewish people and their heritage. The book under review tackles a number of issues that flow from the Second Vatican Council's application of biblical studies to the Catholic faith with an impact on contemporary Catholic–Jewish relations. The four Constitutions of the Second Vatican Council laid the foundation for the spiritual life and practices of Catholics. From these flowed the Decrees and Declarations regarding Christian ecumenism and interreligious relations. All the texts are addressed to Catholics, but many other people are affected by the integration of the council's teachings into the worship and moral life of Catholics. The interpretation of the sacred Scriptures in scholarly settings has an impact on the prayer and practices of the faithful. In many areas the council documents lay a foundation for guiding Catholics into a deeper appreciation of the church's teaching. Gavin D'Costa has explored the developments of the council's insights, especially the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) and the Declaration on the Church's Relation to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra aetate). He draws attention to the series of documents that interpret and apply Nostra aetate to the teaching of Catholic doctrine. He studies these texts in detail, along with papal encyclicals, statements, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992), and the Pontifical Biblical Commission's The Jewish People and Its Holy Scripture in the Christian Bible (2001). D'Costa's conclusions are summarized as follows: "The full authority of the magisterium stands behind the biblical teaching that the covenant with biblical Israel, God's people, is irrevocable (Romans 11:29)." This prepares for a doctrinal implication: "The cultic religious rituals of Rabbinic Judaism are alive and lifegiving, not dead and deadening," as was taught by Augustine and Aquinas (p. 188). The land is central to the covenantal promises to Israel. D'C. favors "a minimalist Catholic Zionism." This means that the founding of the State of Israel may be the working of God in history in relation to God's chosen people. However, this position "cannot underwrite any form of Israel government or political messianism . . . nor can it keep quiet about the just cause of a Palestinian homeland" (p. 189). The question of mission to the Jewish people is placed within "the necessity of witness to all those who do not know Jesus Christ and his Church. This witness cannot compromise the freedom of religion or be coercive in any manner. . . . [The] emerging Jewish Catholic ecclesia has a special witness to offer; it is possible to follow Yeshua and remain a Jew and be a Catholic . . . within the Catholic Church that is qualitatively made up of "the church of the circumcision and the church of the gentiles" (p. 7) (see Gal 2:7). D'Costa presents the magisterial authority for his conclusions flowing from the council in developments grounded in the teachings of the last three popes and three written statements of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in 1974, 1985, and 2015. D'C. studies these documents and that of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. "They point to a trajectory that is supported by a range of existing magisterial teachings. They are advanced in this book as strong candidates for how the Church might develop its doctrinal teachings about God's Jewish people, both in their reaction to such theologies and more importantly from their faithful following of God's demands. In this process, the Church is also slowly discovering...

Blindfolded

AbstractIn a monograph-length contribution to the Common Knowledge symposium on contextualism, the journal's editor decontextualizes and then recontextualizes the medieval iconographic trope of Ecclesia and Synagoga in an effort to make plausible a news story about Pope Francis that received little coverage in the press. During 2015, the fiftieth anniversary of the Vatican II declaration Nostra Aetate, Francis paid a surprise visit to a new statue in the United States, “Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time” by Joshua Koffman, as a sign of his endorsement of its radical reconsideration of a trope long associated with anti-Jewish sentiment in the Catholic Church. This article, which begins with a detailed analysis of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI's essay on the Nostra Aetate treatise De Iudaeis, deals primarily with twelfth- and thirteenth-century uses of the iconography. Special attention is paid to the Anagogical Window of the Royal Abbey of Saint-Denis and to the Ecclesia, Synagoga, and King Solomon statues on the south facade of Strasbourg Cathedral, in both of which is found previously overlooked evidence of philo-Semitic, rather than anti-Semitic, thinking on the part of the designers. The article concludes that contextualist scholars of medieval art have found what they expected to find and ignored contrary indications.

Jezus spłonął w stodole. Obraz chrześcijan w "Pingpongiście" Józefa Hena

The article, consisting of four parts, examines Józef Hen’s novel Pingponista (The Ping-Pong player) as an example of “post-Jedwabne literary discourse” (Marta Tomczok). The first part is a short presentation of the history of the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching on Jews and Judaism, in which one can find anti-Judaic and anti-Semitic elements being presented for centuries by Church authorities. This situation was changed by the Second Vatican Council’s (1962–1965) declaration in Nostra aetate. Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (p. 4). Nonetheless, the Church’s teaching of contempt toward the Jews had been influencing Christian thinking for a very long time. The second part of the article is a study of the main protagonists of Hen’s novel, who include both Poles and Jews. All of them visit a small Polish town (Cheremec) to commemorate the victims of an anti-Jewish pogrom in 1941. In the third part, observations are made about the different Christian attitudes toward Jews represented by the protagonists in The Ping-Pong Player. Only a minority of the Polish people in Cheremec took part directly in the pogrom, while a minority of them, in turn, defended the Jews. The majority of the town’s inhabitants were neutral and passive. The author ponders the reasons for this situation and considers it in the context of the town’s contemporary Polish population. He looks for connections between anti-Semitism and antiJudaism and the axiologies guiding everyday Christians. According to him, Polish Catholics do not connect the events of the Holocaust to the history of religious teaching in the Magisterium of the Church and do not see in the murdered Jews the “chosen people” – the same ones they hear about on Sundays in readings from the Bible in Church. They do not understand that their Christian God – Jesus Christ – was (and is) also a Jew, a member of this persecuted people. The title of the article is taken directly from the novel, where the parish priest of the Catholic parish in Cheremec (Father Ziemowit) says that “Jesus burnt in the stable”, together with the Jewish inhabitants of the town. The fourth part of the article is an axiological analysis of the novel in the context of Christian-Jewish relationships and literary studies on recent Polish narratives of the Holocaust.

Pope Francis’ Dialogue Initiatives with Muslims

Pope Francis’ dialogue activities with the Muslim world have been welcomed by the majority of Muslims and covered extensively in media. His visits to Muslim countries, meeting with the heads of state and official religious authorities, and his encouraging Catholics for dialogue activities can contribute to world peace. This article will first elaborate on how the terms “Ahl al-Kitab” and “Ummah Muqtasidah” (Moderate Nation) are interpreted by Quranic exegetes. These two terms of the Qur’an are the key for the theology of Islam regarding dialogue. Secondly, the article will focus on Nostra Aetate which is considered one of the most critical turning points in the history of Catholic-Muslim relations. This study has two arguments. The first is that the statements of Pope Francis about the practice of dialogue can contribute to world peace if applied both within institutions and at the grassroots. The second is that if Pope Francis’ dialogue activities involve only religious leaders officially appointed by governments in the Muslim world and exclude independent religious leaders, the impact will be significantly lessened. This paper also proposes that for fruitful dialogue activities, both Catholics and Muslims should focus on moral qualities rather than theological differences.

Karl Barth and Nostra Aetate: New Evidence from the Second Vatican Council

Abstract This essay exposes and discusses Karl Barth’s previously unknown involvement in the Second Vatican Council debates over the document on the Jews, which would soon be commonly known as Chapter IV of Nostra Aetate, and argues for its importance for our understanding of Barth’s personal and theological attitude towards Jews and Judaism. Drawing on unknown archival material, it demonstrates Barth’s deep familiarity with all of the main drafts of the document and his awareness of the various forces, both internal and external to the Catholic Church, trying to influence its theological message. It also reveals and analyses a three-page interpretation of the textual history of the document on the Jews written by Barth himself, in which he assesses its various drafts and considers a request from the Jewish committee involved with the Council to approach the Pope personally on their behalf. Lastly, it argues that this episode sheds important light on Barth’s understanding of the accusation of Jewish ‘deicide’ and his doctrine of Israel more generally, both complementing and furthering what is presented in Church Dogmatics, Ad Limina Apostolorum, and elsewhere.

No Revolution in Cincinnati: Jewish-Catholic Relations in the Era of Vatican II

In the common narrative of Catholic-Jewish relations in the twentieth century, the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate) is considered the beginning of an era of mutual respect. But Nostra Aetate was not of equal importance everywhere. The example of Cincinnati, Ohio, demonstrates how Catholics and Jews had largely set their religious differences aside to focus on joint contributions to civic life. While Catholics and Jews differed sharply on the relationship between state and religion and the First Amendment's correct interpretation, they found common cause to work together in addressing centuries-old discrimination against African Americans. This case study of Jewish-Catholic relations shows that local histories, local problems, and local solutions can tell historians more about interfaith relations than global theological declarations.

When One Religion Isn't Enough: The Lives Of Spiritually Fluid People by Duane Bidwell

Reviewed by: When One Religion Isn't Enough: The Lives Of Spiritually Fluid People by Duane Bidwell Paul O. Ingram WHEN ONE RELIGION ISN'T ENOUGH: THE LIVES OF SPIRITUALLY FLUID PEOPLE. By Duane Bidwell. Boston: Beacon Press, 2018. 180 pp. In Northern Europe and the United States, most people assume that religious identity (meaning "Christian," "Jewish," "Muslim," "Buddhist," "Hindu," or Native American or other primal religious Ways) are clearly defined, singular, and static. This understanding of religious identity as static, unchanging, and self-defining assumes an Enlightenment understanding of the nature of things and events, particularly the views of René Descartes. But, in actuality, religious identity is fluid, processive, and pluralistic because of what Duane Bidwell identifies as "spiritually fluid people." Spirituality fluid people have two or more religious identities, identities that cross complex, multiple religious traditions that blur social categories, evoke prejudices, and complicate religious communities. Their presence also raises important questions: How and why do people become spiritually fluid? Are they merely confused and unable to commit to a particular religious Way? In When One Religion Isn't Enough, Bidwell describes and analyzes the lives of spiritually fluid people, and in so doing reveals that while some people choose multiple religious identities, many more inherit them. Bidwell addresses three questions: (1) In a world that privileges singular religious identities, how people come to be claimed by multiple religious identities? (2) How do spiritually fluid people integrate conflicting religious beliefs and practices as they participate in multiple religious Ways? And (3) How do spiritually fluid beliefs and practices help people and communities flourish? To answer these three questions Bidwell describes three "pathways"—choice, inheritance, and collaboration. These three "pathways" allow people to sculpt the pluralism inherent in inhabiting multiple religious identities into coherent individual and communal identities that transform human lives and disclose truth over and beyond their adherence to a single religious Way. [End Page 324] Bidwell notes that three types of people choose religious multiplicity. There are those born into and committed to one religious Way but attracted to another for a variety of reasons. Second, some people convert from one religious Way to another and begin to explore what they experienced as lost when they left their original religious Way. Finally, some religiously multiple people see value in several religious Ways but might not identify with any. Of particular interest to members of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies (SBCS) is the example of Ruben Habito. After Pope Paul VI's 1965 declaration Nostra Aetate, which encouraged relationships with non-Christian religious Ways, many Catholic Christians began to assume multiple religious identities. Habito was a Jesuit in the Philippines preparing for Catholic ordination. When the Church sent him to Japan as a missionary, he was asked to study Japanese Buddhist tradition as a means of helping the Church understand what God had given to humanity through Buddhism. When he encountered Zen Buddhism, he began an interior dialogue that brought Catholic teaching and practice, Buddhist teaching and practice, and his formation as a priest into conversation. Eventually, Habito left the Jesuit order and Catholic priesthood. He remains a Catholic lay leader and was ordained as a teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan linage of Japanese Zen. Accommodation and assimilation, Bidwell argues, have their own particular structure. As people learn about a new religious Way, they first tend to assimilate the new Way's teachings and practices into the categories of the old. For example, the idea of nirvana/Buddhist liberation "might be placed in a mental file" entitled "Heaven/Christian Salvation" (48). Later as people explore with greater nuance, they begin to accommodate new religious Ways by making changes to their own original religious Way as they gradually realize that "nirvana needs its own folder because its not a subset of, or equivalent to," what Christian teachings mean by "salvation." (Ibid.) For example, Paul Knitter (another member of SBCS) in his book, Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian, appropriates Buddhist doctrines to shed light on traditional Christian teachings and practices. His conceptual dialogue with the Buddhist Way correlates the Buddhist doctrine of interbeing or interdependence with the activity of the Holy Spirit, equates Christian salvation...

Fostering Human Dignity and Freedom

At the beginning of Nostra aetate, the Church calls for mutual understanding with Muslims in the interests of “peace, liberty, social justice, and moral values.” This paper strives to achieve such an understanding in light of the fragile state of democracy in today’s world. The paper first presents the Church’s approach to democracy through an analysis of the work of the philosopher Jacques Maritain and the Second Vatican Council. It then presents representative views from Islam: the work of the Sunni legal scholar Khaled Abou El Fadl and the Shi’ite scholar Naser Ghobadzadeh. By appealing to the Jesuit scholarDavid Hollenbach’smethodology of “dialogic universalism,” the paper argues finally that there is a rich confluence between the two traditions: Their basic commitment to the dignity and freedom of the human person implies a respect for pluralism, a reverence for reason, and a call for self-transcendence, all of which can serve to enhance democracy.

Konsili Vatikan II Ortodoks atau Anti-Kristus? Ulasan tentang Kritik Kalangan Konservatif terhadap Konsili Vatikan II

<p><strong><em></em></strong><em>This article is based on a video by a conservative group in Indonesia that describes the position of Archbishop Vigano and has been circulating in Indonesia recently. The video argues that the Second Vatican Council left the true Church of Jesus Christ and created the Antichrist Church. In particular, they reject the teachings set forth in the Nostra Aetate decree regarding the truths contained in non-Christian religions and also the position regarding religious freedom as taught in the Dignitatis Humanae declaration. Because they do not agree with the basic direction of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, they also demand that all council documents be canceled. This article responds to this conservative position by asserting and showing that the Church of Jesus Christ is not always the same, but Jesus brought a spirit into the world and the people who live according to that spirit must always seek new institutional forms in accordance with the development of society. It is according to this basic view that the conservative position is corrected by showing some of the historical facts and developments of theology throughout the history of the Church.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><strong><em>Keywords</em></strong><em>: Archbishop Vigano; Second Vatican Council; Nostra Aetate; freedom of religion; Church of Jesus Christ</em></p>

The Time of Dialectic Spiritualism: From Medina to Mecca Charter

A crisis is a call for change and creative thinking that initiates a dialectics of thought and action. Also, the challenge for nations as well as individuals in crisis is to figure out which parts of their identities are already functioning well and do not need changing, and which parts are no longer working and do need changing. Indeed, Muslim thought today needs the courage to recognize what must be changed in order to deal with the new circumstances.
 But, at the same time, Muslim scholars need to draw a line and stress the elements that are so fundamental to the faith and culture of Islam that they refuse to be changed. This state of affairs we call dialectical spiritualism, as opposed to Marxist „dialectical materialism“. It is time for humanity to meet the Zeitgeist, „Spirit of the Age“, which is „the Spirit of Peace“ among religions and nations across the globe. History, past and present, is not void of good examples of accords, charters, declarations and commitments to peaceful coexistence between religions and nations from the Medina Charter (622), the Magna Carta Libertatum (1215), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the Nostra Aetate (1965), the Declaration of European Muslims (2005), the Common Word Between Us and You (2007), the Marrakesh Declaration (2016), the Alliance of Virtue for the Common Good (2018), the Declaration of Human Fraternity (2019) to the Mecca Charter (2019).
 All these initiatives, past and present, promote the idea of „the Spirit of Peace“ of all times, but this current time has the biggest need of all times for the Zeitgeist, „Spirit of the Age“, which is the „Spirit of Peace and Tolerance“. This paper attempts to explain this need from a Muslim perspective with a comparison with other initiatives.

American Judaism and the Second Vatican Council: The Response of the American Jewish Committee to Nostra Aetate

During the Second Vatican Council, American Jewish community members impacted the drafting of the declaration on the Catholic Church's attitude toward Jews and Judaism. This article explores the American Jewish Committee's reactions to the drafting and promulgation of the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate) and its contribution to establishing interfaith relations. The varied Jewish reactions to the declaration provide insight into the internal Jewish discussions regarding Nostra Aetate, revealing that even though the declaration is assessed positively today, initial Jewish reactions were not enthusiastic.

Nostra Aetate and Encountering Buddhism

Nostra Aetate and Encountering Buddhism

American Christians and the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry: A Call to Conscience by Fred A. Lazin

Reviewed by: American Christians and the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry: A Call to Conscience by Fred A. Lazin Marjorie N. Feld (bio) American Christians and the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry: A Call to Conscience. By Fred A. Lazin. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2019. x + 251 pp. For many affiliated American Jews of my generation, the cause of Soviet Jewry left a significant mark on our youth. At my bat mitzvah, I was "twinned" with a girl in the Soviet Union who, I was told, could not practice her religion publicly. Three years later, in 1987, I joined 250,000 others at my first demonstration in Washington, DC: The March to Free Soviet Jewry. My own hazy memories of these events match the dominant historiographical outlines of the movement and its white, Ashkenazic Jewish leadership. In his new book American Christians and the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry, Fred A. Lazin offers a competing or, perhaps, complementary, portrait: a history of the National Interreligious Task Force on Soviet Jewry (the "Task Force"), a group dedicated to Soviet Jewry and headed by Sister Ann Gillen of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. Lazin's study illuminates the politics of interreligious cooperation and activism while revising our understanding of the Soviet Jewry movement. Lazin sets the stage for the 1972 founding of the Task Force by beginning with the "constructive consequences" of Vatican II, in particular the 1965 Nostra Aetate document that drastically altered relationships between Catholics and Jews. In the years following, nuns began to address broader social problems outside of the Catholic Church, just as American Jewish leaders sought support from Christians for the cause of Soviet Jewry. First sponsored by the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice (NCCIJ) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Task Force gradually fell under AJC leadership with the goal "that it would serve as the national organization through which concerned Christians may act on behalf of the Soviet Jewish community" (38). Grounded in prodigious archival research, this book chronicles, in intricate detail, the multifaceted work undertaken by Sister Gillen across the United States and in the Soviet Union, at United Nations conferences, and at the World Conferences for Soviet Jewry. Under the careful and strict supervision of the AJC, and using the language of human and civil rights, Sister Gillen drew from her own Christian networks in assembling conferences, vigils, meetings, and demonstrations for Soviet Jewry. She contributed to a campaign that mobilized millions of people, Jewish and Christian, world leaders and laypeople alike, and offered a unifying cause for American Jews in the final years of the Cold War. Lazin writes that some Jewish communal leaders spoke of "spiritual genocide" and resisted efforts to broaden the campaign to work for other [End Page 641] (Christian) groups denied religious expression in the Soviet Union (70). He suggests that Israeli leaders led or reinforced this resistance because of their own nation's investment in Soviet Jewry's freedom to emigrate. Indeed, in the very first sentence of the book, Lazin notes that "Israeli leaders immediately faced an existential threat to the new Jewish State's existence—a population insufficient to ensure both the survival of the State and its Jewish majority" (1). The Task Force, he writes, knowingly or unknowingly served this purpose as it drew Christian allies to the cause of Soviet Jewry and of the free emigration of Soviet Jews to Israel. Even Sister Gillen, he tells us, "may or may not have been aware of the role of the [Israeli] Liaison Bureau"—a "clandestine operation focused on Soviet Jewry in the office of the Israeli prime minister"—in the work of the Task Force's campaigns (65, 64). Perhaps tied to the directives of Israeli leadership and to new geopolitical contexts, the tension over advocating for other religious groups in the Soviet Union intensified in the late 1970s. In response, Sister Gillen, joined by AJC leaders, set up a National Interreligious Task Force on Human Rights, which "shifted the focus of advocacy to one of universal human rights" (145). In these years, Sister Gillen allied with Catholics and evangelical Protestants to draw attention to...

Francisco de Assis e o Sultão: uma relação de encontro e diálogo

O presente trabalho tem como pressuposto o documento conciliar, Nostra Aetate, e pretende perceber em Francisco de Assis propostas de diálogo e aproximação inter-religiosa a partir do seu encontro com o sultão muçulmano. O texto pretende relacionar o significado desse encontro histórico com os fundamentos de diálogo inter-religioso propostos em Nostra Aetate.