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LeoD.Lefebure,GaudiumetSpes,NostraAetate,DignitatisHumanaeł
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will,toseekhealingforpastconflicts,tospeakinpositivetonesaboutother
religions,toaffirmthereligiouslibertyofallhumans,andtomoveforwardin
collaborationwiththeentirehumancommunity.Thisessaywillexploresome
aspectsofthistransformation.
EarlierCatholicAttitudestoModernity
andOtherReligiousTraditions
Toappreciatethesignificanceofthesedevelopments,itisimportanttorecallthat
priortotheSecondVaticanCouncil,Catholicattitudestowardotherreligious
traditionsandthemodernworldhadfrequentlybeenhostileandconflicted.The
CatholicChurchhastraditionallyhadatragicandviolentrelationshiptoallof
theworld’sreligioustraditions,andthiswasparticularlytrueofthosereligions
withwhomitismostcloselyboundinhistoryandbelief:JudaismandIslam.
Thesethreereligionssharemanyimportantbeliefsandvalues,butforcenturies
CatholicsrepeatedlyvilifiedanddemonizedJewsandMuslimsasalliesofthe
Antichrist.
InperiodswhenincreasingnumbersofCatholicscameintocontactwith
Buddhists,Hindus,Daoists,Sikhs,Jains,andfollowersofindigenoustraditions
aroundtheworld,alltoooftenCatholicsrepeatedtheage-oldpatternsofintoler-
ance,defamation,andviolenceinnewcontexts.ThereweresomeCatholicswho
seriouslystudiedotherreligioustraditionspriortotheSecondVaticanCouncil
andwhoundertookboldinitiativestoimproveCatholicrelationswiththeirfol-
lowers,butforthemostparttheseeffortsdidnotenjoywidespreadpublicityor
thesupportofthehighestlevelsofCatholicleadership.
TheCatholicChurchhadatroubledrelationshipwiththemodernworldfor
historicreasons.TheFrenchRevolutionandtheself-proclaimedEmperorNapo-
leonBonaparteposedaprofoundlytraumaticchallengetotheCatholicChurch
oneverylevel,frompopestobishopstoprieststoreligiouscommunitiestolay
Catholics.Manywerekilled;manywereuprooted;manyweredispossessed.
NapoleondeliberatelyhumiliatedPopePiusVI,whoservedaspontifffrom1775
to1799,oneofthemostdifficultperiodsintheentirehistoryofthepapacy.Pope
PiusVIsawtheFrenchRevolutionasarevoltagainsttheordersanctionedby
God,asaconspiracyagainsttheCatholicChurch,giventhatCatholicbishops,
priests,andsisterswerekilled.Churchpropertywasconfiscated.AfterNapo-
leonhadconqueredthepapalstates,FrenchgeneralLouisBerthierdeposedPius
VIasheadofthepapalstatesandforcedhimtomovetoSienaandthentoFlor-
enceunderhousearrest.ThentheFrenchwereafraidthatothertroopsmight