Since the publication sixty years ago of the Second Vatican Council’s “Declaration on the Relation of the Church to non-Christian Religions,” Nostra aetate, “all my predecessors have condemned anti-Semitism with clear words” Pope Leo XIV said during the Wednesday General Audience on 29 October, in St. Peter’s Square. And now, he continued, “I too confirm that the Church does not tolerate anti-Semitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself”.
In his catechesis, focusing on the importance of interreligious dialogue, the Pope offered a roadmap for how different faiths can act together to build a better world, and also highlighted the importance of Jewish-Catholic relations. “We cannot deny that there have been misunderstandings, difficulties, and conflicts” in the sixty years since the publication of Nostra aetate, “but these have never prevented the dialogue from continuing,” he said. “Even today, we must not allow political circumstances and the injustices of some to divert us from friendship, especially since we have achieved so much so far.” The Pope also expresssed his gratitude to leaders and representatives of different faiths for their presence at the General Audience.
Six decades of Jewish-Catholic dialogue
day we can look with gratitude at everything that has been achieved in Jewish-Catholic dialogue during these six decades” since the publication of Nostra aetate in 1965. “This is due not only to human effort, but to the assistance of our God who, according to Christian conviction, is dialogue itself”, he continued. He pointed out that Nostra aetate’s “first focus” was “towards the Jewish world”. “For the first time in the history of the Church, a doctrinal treatise on the Jewish roots of Christianity was to take shape, which on a biblical and theological level would represent a point of no return,” he said. He explained that the document underscored the Catholic Church’s Jewish roots, as “the beginnings of her faith and her election are found already among the Patriarchs, Moses and the prophets”. In fact, it already decried any form of anti-Semitism “directed against Jews at any time and by anyone” not due to “political reasons but by the Gospel’s spiritual love”.
Areas where religions can work together
The Pope then reflected on what different faiths can do together today, sixty years after this important document. “The answer is simple: we can act together,” he said, adding that “more than ever, our world needs our unity, our friendship, and our collaboration.” He listed certain areas where religions can unite people, such as contributing “to alleviating human suffering and taking care of our common home, our planet Earth”; teaching “truth, compassion, reconciliation, justice and peace”; reaffirming “service to humanity, at all times”; and being “vigilant against the abuse of the name of God, of religion, and of dialogue itself, as well as against the dangers posed by religious fundamentalism and extremism”.
He also underlined how important it is today to “face the responsible development of artificial intelligence because, if conceived as an alternative to humans, it can gravely violate their infinite dignity and neutralize their fundamental responsibilities”. The Pope insisted that different religions have “an immense contribution to make to the humanization of technology and therefore to inspire its regulation, to protect fundamental human rights”.
The need for hope today
As Nostra Aetate brought hope to many after the Second World War by opening up “a new horizon of encounter, respect and spiritual hospitality”, today “we are called upon to rekindle that hope in our world, devastated by war and our degraded natural environment”, the Pope urged. “Our religions teach that peace begins in the human heart”, he emphasized. “We must restore hope to our personal lives, our families, our neighbourhoods, our schools, our villages, our countries and our world. This hope is based on our religious convictions, on the conviction that a new world is possible.”
He urged different faiths to work together. “If we are united, everything is possible. Let us ensure that nothing divides us”, in order to “transmit this spirit of friendship and collaboration to the future generation too, because it is the true pillar on which dialogue rests”. This document, he said, “teaches us to meet the followers of other religions not as outsiders, but as travelling companions on the path of truth; to honour differences affirming our common humanity; and to discern, in every sincere religious search, a reflection of the one divine Mystery that embraces all creation”.
Nostra Aetate, a path for the Church today
Pope Leo also addressed the Church specifically, highlighting that “Nostra Aetate continues to illuminate” its path. “The Declaration invites all Catholics – bishops, clergy, consecrated persons and lay faithful – to involve themselves sincerely in dialogue and in collaboration with the followers of other religions, recognizing and promoting all that is good, true, and holy in their traditions,” the Pope encouraged, explaining that this is even more important today where in almost every city there are people of varying cultural and religious backgrounds.
“Nostra Aetate reminds us that true dialogue is rooted in love, the only foundation of peace, justice, and reconciliation, whereas it firmly rejects every form of discrimination or persecution, affirming the equal dignity of every human being,” the Pope continued. Pope Leo’s catechesis was inspired by the episode in the Gospel of John where Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well, overcoming “the barriers of culture, gender, and religion”. The Pope underlined that this “this encounter reveals the essence of authentic religious dialogue”, as it shows “God’s presence beyond all boundaries and the invitation to seek him together with reverence and humility”.
It details an exchange based on “sincerity, attentive listening, and mutual enrichment”, where the Samaritan woman can see a new understanding of worship “realised in Spirit and truth”. At the conclusion of his catechesis, the Pope invited all those present to pause for a moment of silent prayer, as prayer “has the power to transform our attitudes, our thoughts, our words and our actions.”
