Dialogue between Catholics and Jews has been promoted in North America for years
The B.C. Catholic
Catholics and Jews are finally in dialogue on a national level. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus launched what they say is the first initiative of its kind Nov. 25.
“This is an exciting and important time to be building on the important work of previous generations,” Robert Daum, one of the Jewish delegates, told The B.C. Catholic.
Daum, who wears many hats in teaching positions at SFU and UBC and is involved in various interfaith groups, has been promoting dialogue between Catholics and Jews in North America for years.
He feels privileged to be on the first-ever national dialogue team and hopes to “be able to build on the really good spirit” of their first meeting.
“We will agree on some things and won’t agree on other things, but we also value deeply the opportunity to learn from each other and with each other and to bring our combined insights to complex dimensions of our historic relationships.”
The new national, bilateral dialogue includes six delegates from each religion. Also among the 12 rabbis, bishops, religious sisters, scholars, and lay leaders is Father Martin Moser, OMI, pastor of St. Peter’s Parish in New Westminster.
“There are lots of major issues that we can talk about as Catholics and Jews. For example, one good area is the liturgy. Much of our liturgy is rooted in Jewish background,” said Father Moser.
“There are many other practical issues we can talk about, such as social justice and peace in the world.”
At their inaugural meeting, the group released the “Declaration of Jewish-Catholic Dialogue for Canada.” It spells out a commitment to strengthening ties, opposing anti-Semitism, and advancing causes both faiths hold dear.
This dialogue comes 50 years after Nostra Aetate, a short, powerful document from the Second Vatican Council that urged Catholics to develop better relationships with other religions, including Judaism.
While the new initiative is big news on the national level, local efforts have been underway for years.
“There have been very warm and constructive relations and collaborations between this local archdiocese and members of the Jewish community, as with many other communities, for quite some time,” Daum said.
Jewish professors have taught as guests at St. Mark’s and Corpus Christi Colleges, and Catholic lecturers have stepped into Jewish settings, he said.
The John Paul II Pastoral Centre welcomed several Jewish panelists and guests to an interfaith event to mark 50 years since Nostra Aetate, and when Pope Francis was elected, Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, invited local Jewish leaders to Holy Rosary Cathedral to celebrate. “I was delighted to attend,” Daum said.
Shawn Flynn, director of theology programs at St. Mark’s, speaks at Jewish gatherings and on local interfaith panels. “My sense, in Vancouver, is that it’s a bit new to Catholics. There were people individually connecting, but it was never diocesan” until a few years ago.
Local initiatives include an archdiocesan commission that helps parish representatives connect with neighbouring synagogues. Young students from St. Augustine’s School and Vancouver Talmud Torah even got together to serve meals in the Downtown Eastside this spring, he said.
Since the Canadian dialogue group officially convened in November, the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with Jews has released a Dec. 10 statement saying that the so-called “mission to the Jews” is “a very delicate and sensitive matter,” and that “evangelization to Jews” must be viewed “in a different manner from that to people of other religions and world views.”
It says “the Catholic Church neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews,” but “Christians are nonetheless called to bear witness to their faith in Jesus Christ also to Jews, although they should do so in a humble and sensitive manner.”
It also says, “Pope Francis has repeatedly stressed that a Christian can never be an anti-Semite, especially because of the Jewish roots of Christianity.”
The Canadian Rabbinic Caucus welcomed the move. “Canada’s rabbis welcome these positions as important milestones in the history of Catholic-Jewish relations.”
