Challenges of Dialogue
• Catholics & Jews have both had a rich and troubled history together. Between the two have left some Jews wary of Catholic intentions about being equal partners in dialogue. Jews have faced discrimination, violence, expulsions, deportations & death at the hands of people claiming to be Christian.
o Burning of their synagogues & sacred texts
o Sometimes Jews were put in situations in which it was difficult to maintain their human dignity. They were called “Christ killers”
o They were told that they had their poor lot in life b/c they did not accept Jesus & if they did accept him all would be well.
o Some were forced into conversion but were accused of secretly practicing Judaism.
• Many of these negative experiences were perpetrated by mob violence rather than from spiritual or temporal leaders of the church.
o Ex/ when the 1st crusaders plundered Jewish communities in the Rhineland, there are stories of when Jews went to the bishop of the region for help. They received help but sometimes the bishop was killed for helping the Jews
• In the 2nd Vatican Council Nostra Aetate – the church set a course for righting these wrongs toward Jews. Even before the 2nd Vatican council began , Pope John XXIII cut out the Latin word perfidies “perfidious” from the prayer for the Jews during the Good Friday service. The Jews will remain Gods Chosen People. God never served the covenant made on Mt. Sinai. There is no collective guilt of Jews for the death of Jesus. Roman Soldiers crucified Jesus at the instigation of some or not at all Jewish leaders. Jews do not need to become catholic to be saved.
o Jews who follow their covenant w/ God are in line w/ Gods plan for them. The Catholic Church no longer has an organized missionary program to convert Jews.
• We sometimes are unaware of lingering anti-Semitism. Dialogue w/ each other often sensitizes us to the poor language used about the other. Read Ex. P. 71
• We still are saying the...