"The Church… draws sustenance from the root of that well‑cultivated olive tree onto which have been grafted the wild shoots, the Gentiles." (Nostra Aetate 4)
Articles examining contemporary Jewish–Christian relations in light of the Church’s enduring bond with the Jewish people. Topics include papal teachings on Judaism and Israel, official speeches and gestures toward Jewish communities, and papal pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
On March 9, 2009, the Central Committee of German Catholics released a heretical document entitled Nein zur Judenmission - Ja zum Dialog zwischen Juden und Christen ("No to Jewish mission - Yes to dialogue between Jews and Christians"). This document claims: "We emphasize, with the Church of the Second Vatican Council, that God's covenant with the Jewish people represents a way of salvation to God - also without recognition of Jesus Christ and without the sacrament of Baptism". German philosoper Robert Spaemann responds to the document's claims (in German).
Benedict XVI calls the Shoah "a Crime Against God and Against Humanity" and reaffirms that "the Church draws its sustenance from the root of that good olive tree, the people of Israel, onto which have been grafted the wild olive branches of the Gentiles (cf. Rom 11: 17-24)."
Read more: Pope Benedict XVI's Address to American Jewish Organizations
Pope Benedict XVI said any minimization of the Holocaust was unacceptable, especially for a priest, as he met with Jewish leaders in hopes of ending the rancor over a bishop who denied 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis.
Following the reactions aroused by the recent Decree of the Congregation for Bishops, with which the excommunication of the four Bishops of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X was remitted, and in relation to the negationist and reductionist declarations concerning the Shoah on the part of Bishop Williamson of the same Fraternity, it is held opportune to clarify certain aspects of the matter.
More than any other pope, John Paul II was the twentieth century’s greatest papal friend and supporter of the Jewish people. Indeed, John Paul II’s extraordinary relationship with the Jews was an important chapter in the historic legacy of his pontificate, which has had profound implications for Catholic-Jewish relations in our time.
KRAKOW, Poland, MAY 28, 2006 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered when visiting the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, the last stage of his apostolic trip to Poland.
The Jewish-Christian relationship has, throughout its history, been a turbulent one. Recognizing the growing degree of acceptance and tolerance on the part of Christians towards Jews, leaders of the Jewish community felt that these positive changes deserved a public and considered response. Published in 2000, Dabru Emet sought to put on public record the most current Jewish perspectives on Christianity.
Read more: Dabru Emet: A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity
