Israel Marks 55 Years of ‘Profound Change in Catholic Church’s Attitude Towards Jews’

Jerusalem, 29 October, 2020 (TPS) -- Israel marked on Wednesday the 55th anniversary of the “Nostra Aetate” Declaration, adopted by the Second Vatican Council, published on October 28, 1965.

Nostra Aetate is the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions.

In regards to the Jewish people, the declaration rescinds the common teaching of the time that the Jews were guilty of deicide for the death of Jesus. It ruled out anti-Semitism for Christians and called God’s covenant with the Hebrew people eternal.

“This historic document marked a profound change in the Catholic Church’s attitude towards Jews and laid the foundation for the reconciliation and cooperation between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people,” the Foreign Ministry stated.

This significant theological turning point paved the way for a political change and the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the State of Israel and the Holy See in 1994.

“55 years after Nostra Aetate, the Jewish-Catholic dialogue is open, honest, and warm, Jewish and Catholic delegations meet regularly and our mutual understanding, fraternity and bonds have grown closer and stronger. The three Papal visits to Israel have been further confirmation of this fact,” Israel stated.

“Today, as we witness the horrific resurgence of anti-Semitism throughout the world, we appreciate the strong and unambiguous condemnations by three Popes of this evil as a sin against God and man and cannot understate the importance and necessity of spreading the message of Nostra Aetate throughout the world,” it concluded.