Nostra Aetate turns 50

[ComplineSanFran]

America magazine has an excellent coverage of the 50th Anniversary of the release of Nostra Aetate, the “Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions.” It is especially poignant for the relationship with the Jewish community, after centuries of anti-Semitism. If you don’t know the document, it is well worth a read. But mostly, I am taken with the Church’s openness - and working relationships - to other faith communities because of it.

americamagazine.org/content/all-things/churchs-irreversible-openness-nostra-aetate-50

Jesuit Francis X. Clooney writes:

“There have been ups and downs, of course, and even today one can find Catholics ill disposed toward other religions, ignorant of them and hostile toward them. Fairly enough, some more judicious Catholics have worried about a slide into relativism—indiscriminate openness—and been cautious to keep a distance from too hasty generalizations and overly optimistic readings of religions (the Christian included). But even the most prudent and enduring of cautions have not stopped the trajectory of the church toward great openness, greater engagement; the church is among the leaders now in the interfaith world, particularly among those seeking to balance fidelity to tradition with interreligious openness.”

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Thank you very much for posting this today.

Truly it is an event to be commemorated throughout the Church and together with the non-Christians with whom we are in dialogue. Indeed, it is a moment to be celebrated by the Churches and ecclesial communities who are not in communion with Rome but who share the sentiments expressed by the Council Fathers in Nostra aetate.

I am pleased to see mention of the anniversary in this forum. Coming in the years immediately after the Shoah, which was in the lived memory of all the Council Fathers, sometimes most profoundly so, Nostra aetate was and is such an important legacy of Vatican II.

The 50th anniversary is a landmark moment. It is a moment to look back with gratitude and tribute – but it is also a moment to look ahead, with renewed commitment to the vision of the Fathers of Vatican II as well as the teachings and example of the Popes in the aftermath of the Council. Nostra aetate has borne much fruit in 50 years.

I would like to personally pay tribute to the remarkable work of Augustin Cardinal Bea, especially as it relates to Jewish Christian dialogue and his role in Nostra aetate. His legacy has been kept alive in Rome by those who were inspired by this very special man and there continues to advance what he so eloquently worked for in his life.

With gratitude and acknowledgement to Saint Joseph’s University Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations, a special web page of primary source documents and other resources was assembled for this anniversary, ComplineSanFran. I am happy to share that link here if you are not aware of it. Compiled by the CCJR, it brings together in one place and provides ease of access to an incredible wealth of material. It is notable for bringing together and making accessible materials often overlooked by non-scholars.

Blessings to you for remembering this special occasion.

ccjr.us/dialogika-resources/educational-and-liturgical-materials/curricula/1233-na50

 

[ComplineSanFran]

Thank you very much for posting this today.

Truly it is an event to be commemorated throughout the Church and together with the non-Christians with whom we are in dialogue. Indeed, it is a moment to be celebrated by the Churches and ecclesial communities who are not in communion with Rome but who share the sentiments expressed by the Council Fathers in Nostra aetate.

I am pleased to see mention of the anniversary in this forum. Coming in the years immediately after the Shoah, which was in the lived memory of all the Council Fathers, sometimes most profoundly so, Nostra aetate was and is such an important legacy of Vatican II.

The 50th anniversary is a landmark moment. It is a moment to look back with gratitude and tribute – but it is also a moment to look ahead, with renewed commitment to the vision of the Fathers of Vatican II as well as the teachings and example of the Popes in the aftermath of the Council. Nostra aetate has borne much fruit in 50 years.

I would like to personally pay tribute to the remarkable work of Augustin Cardinal Bea, especially as it relates to Jewish Christian dialogue and his role in Nostra aetate. His legacy has been kept alive in Rome by those who were inspired by this very special man and there continues to advance what he so eloquently worked for in his life.

With gratitude and acknowledgement to Saint Joseph’s University Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations, a special web page of primary source documents and other resources was assembled for this anniversary, ComplineSanFran. I am happy to share that link here if you are not aware of it. Compiled by the CCJR, it brings together in one place and provides ease of access to an incredible wealth of material. It is notable for bringing together and making accessible materials often overlooked by non-scholars.

Blessings to you for remembering this special occasion.

ccjr.us/dialogika-resources/educational-and-liturgical-materials/curricula/1233-na50

What a joy it is to learn from you. Thank you for the link to the CCJR site. I am planning on spending considerable time wandering through it. I do know that Nostra Aetate was originally intended for relationship with the Jewish community but that it was expanded to give a wider framework to include all the major faith traditions. But it’s so clear that the intent was to understand this special relationship we have with the Jews.

I found the picture that most people seem to be using: Cardinal Rea with Rabbi Abraham Heschel. You speak of admiration for the Cardinal. Then I will sing the praises of Rabbi Heschel. I started reading his works when I was high school or college age. My first introduction to his work was 'Man is Not Alone" and then of course 'The Sabbath." He’s a mystic so I understood exactly how he brought theology alive for me.

I am too young to have been there, but I envy those who were a part of theological discourse in 1960’s in New York. Herschel at the Seminary, Tillich and Niebuhr nearby at Union. Who else? Who were the great Catholic thinkers of that era?

But N.A. has been a game changer for the Church and specifically for the Jewish community. I don’t think we would be where we are if not for that document.

 

[Servant19]

Beautiful to see this here.

Nostra Aetate really brought Catholicism into a leadership position in removing exclusivism from human attitudes and bringing to the forefront of human conduct the means by which we can work together to bring about a better world.

I am so happy to celebrate this document’s 50th year with all my dear brothers and sisters in this forum.

God bless one and all

.