40th Anniversary of Vatican II Document on Christians and Jews: Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien
Reception at Archbishop's House, Edinburgh
Speech by Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien
Tuesday 15 November 2005
Introduction:
Today we mark the 40th anniversary of what was truly a ground-breaking document. The influence of that document, Nostra Aetate, the “Declaration On The Relation Of The Church to Non-Christian Religions” has been profound and long-lasting. As recently as the 7th November the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill recognising the role of Nostra Aetate in fostering inter-religious dialogue.
The document recognised the truths within the other religions of the world; it condemned religious discrimination and persecution, and specifically denounced anti-Semitism:
The Church reproves every form of persecution against whomsoever it may be directed. Remembering, then, her common heritage with the Jews and moved not by any political consideration, but solely by the religious motivation of Christian charity, she deplores all hatreds, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism levelled at any time or from any source against the Jews.
Today I am delighted to be gathered with friends of the Jewish faith and also those of other faiths. Welcome! I have had the opportunity of working with many of you in the past and look forward to doing so ever more closely in the future.
The strength of our common commitment to inter-faith dialogue is one that I believe is becoming increasingly recognised nationally. The Scottish Executive has recognised this in their support for the Scottish Inter-faith Council, and across the world I believe that it is the promotion of such dialogue that is a key to peace in our troubled times.
Teaching of Pope John Paul II:
It was with such a hope for peace that one of the great milestones, which was a fruit of Nostra Aetate, occurred in 1981. Pope John Paul II worked tirelessly to work ever more closely with people of all faiths, and the World Day of Peace in Assisi will be remembered by all of us for its powerful symbol to the world that religion is a path to peace rather than a road to violence.
On that day Pope John Paul II spoke these words:
If there are many and important differences among us, there is also a common ground, whence to operate together in the solution of this dramatic challenge of our age: true peace or catastrophic war?
Yes, there is the dimension of prayer, which in the very real diversity of religions tries to express communication with a Power above all our human forces.
Peace depends basically on this Power, which we call God, and as Christians believe has revealed himself in Christ.
Today we commemorate in a special way the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people. We look to Judaism as our older brother in the faith. It was from the Jewish people that Jesus himself came. The Old Testament will unite us always to the Jewish people.
Pope John Paul recognised this when visiting the synagogue of Mainz (1980). He said: “The encounter between the people of God of the Old Covenant, which has never been abrogated by God (cf. Rm 11:29), and that of the New Covenant is also an internal dialogue in our Church, similar to that between the first and second part of its Bible”.
The Pope also paid a visit to the Synagogue of Rome in 1986; and, finally, in the course of a meeting on the roots of anti-Jewish feeling among Christians (1997) he said: “This people has been called and led by God, creator of heaven and earth. Their existence then is not a mere natural or cultural happening,… It is a supernatural one. This people continues in spite of everything to be the people of the covenant and, despite human infidelity, the Lord is faithful to his covenant”.
He reiterated this during his very moving visit to the Holy Land: “We (Jews and Christians) must work together to build a future in which there will be no more anti-Jewish feeling among Christians, or any anti-Christian feeling among Jews. We have many things in common. We can do much for the sake of peace, for a more human and more fraternal world”.
Response of Jewish Leaders:
The work has certainly not been one-way traffic. A few years ago the Catholic Church recognised another milestone in the remarkable statement, Dabru emet, by an interdenominational group of more than 300 rabbis and Jewish scholars, which stated:
Jews and Christians worship the same God. Before the rise of Christianity, Jews were the only worshippers of the God of Israel. But Christians also worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, creator of heaven and earth. While Christian faith is not a viable religious choice for Jews, as Jewish theologians we rejoice that, through Christianity, hundreds of millions of people have entered into relationship with the God of Israel.
Teaching of Pope Benedict XVI:
If our Holy Father John Paul II worked tirelessly to advance inter-religious understanding, we have seen quickly that his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, wishes to continue this work.
This year as part of the celebrations for World Youth Day, the Holy Father visited the synagogue in Cologne. There he stated:
Finally, our gaze should not only be directed to the past, but should also look forward to the tasks that await us today and tomorrow. Our rich common heritage and our fraternal and more trusting relations call upon us to join in giving an ever more harmonious witness and to work together on the practical level for the defence and promotion of human rights and the sacredness of human life, for family values, for social justice and for peace in the world.
And in Rome he addressed a group of Chief Rabbis with these words:
Dear Chief Rabbis, as religious leaders we stand before God with a serious responsibility for the teaching we give and the decisions we make. May the Lord sustain us in serving the great cause of promoting the sacredness of human life and defending the human dignity of every person, so that justice and peace may flourish in the world.
And only yesterday, 14 November 2005, when the Pope received a delegation from the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, he stated:
We must continue to advance along the path of mutual respect and dialogue, inspired by our shared spiritual heritage, committed to an ever more effective co-operation in the service of the human family.
In reply, Rabbi Marvin Hier, Founder and Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, thanked the Pope for the indication 'to dialogue and exchange views', particularly in these critical times in a world desperate for moral clarity and civility.
Conclusion:
The efforts of our pontiffs are efforts I wish to associate myself with and support in every way possible. Today I hope that our gathering together signifies on my part and the part of the Catholic Church in Scotland that we are committed to a future together where our different religious faiths are recognised and respected. I have in the past spoken of my wish to promote religious freedom. It is a route, I believe, to overcome the uncertainty and scepticism with which religion in society is sometimes held. I know that the Scottish Executive has given this matter serious attention and I am glad that today representatives of the Scottish Executive have been able to join the representatives of the different faiths and denominations that are present here today.
May that one God whom Christians and Jews alike worship bring us ever closer together in bonds of love and friendship. And may the tree to be planted in the grounds of my home be an ever more vivid symbol of our growth together.
Our dialogue is undertaken, not only for our own sake, but for the promotion of our world, in favour of a better world, and as a responsibility towards our young people and their hopes. We have a common responsibility to hand down our rich, common spiritual and ethical patrimony to the next generations and to make it bear fruit for a better world of justice and peace and for the coming of God's Kingdom. Indeed, a high and holy task awaits us!