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PhilosophicalThought
PopeJohn,affirmspeopleinerrordo.16Onthisbasis,theCouncilcondemns
everyformofdiscrimination,includingthosebasedonreligiousdifference.17
Theseaffirmationspowerfullypavedthewayforbetterrelationswithfollowers
ofotherreligioustraditions.
NostraAetateandInterreligiousRelations
In1960,afterPopeJohnXXIIIhadannouncedthattherewouldbeanecu-
menicalcouncilattheVatican,JulesIsaac,aFrenchJewishhistorianwhohad
studiedthehistoryofCatholicteachingontheJews,obtainedanaudiencewith
thepontiffonJune13,1960.DuringWorldWarII,thefuturepope,thenArch-
bishopAngeloGiuseppeRoncalliinIstanbul,hadworkedtosaveJewsdur-
ingtheShoah,Isaacpresentedtothepopeadossiercontainingarequestthat
theupcomingcouncilcorrectthefalseandunjuststatementsabouttheJewish
peopleintraditionalCatholicteaching.Isaacreferredinparticulartotheclaim
thatthescatteringofIsraelwasapunishmentinflictedbyGodonthepeopleof
IsraelforthecrucifixionofJesus.HealsoquotedtheCatechismoftheCatholic
ChurchissuedaftertheCouncilofTrentinthesixteenthcentury,whichtaught
thattheguiltofallhumanbeingswasthefundamentalcauseofJesus’sdeathon
thecross.Isaacarguedthatthisteachingcontradictedthefalseaccusationthat
theJewishpeopleinparticularwerecollectivelyguiltyofdeicide,thecrimeof
killingGod.Attheendoftheaudience,PopeJohnassuredIsaacthathehad
reasonforhope.
Afewmonthslater,inSeptember1960,PopeJohncommissionedAugustin
CardinalBea,presidentoftheSecretariatforChristianUnity,toprepareadraft
ofadeclarationontherelationshipbetweentheCatholicChurchandthepeople
ofIsrael.DuringtheoftenheateddebatesoverthedeclarationatVaticanII,
somebishopsarguedthechurchcouldnotchangeitstraditionalteachingthat
JewshadcompletelybrokenoffthecovenantwithGodbyrejectingJesusand
thattheironlyhopeforsalvationlayinconversiontotheCatholicChurch.
Despitetheweightoftraditionalteachings,afterthehorrorsoftheShoahthe
largemajorityofbishopsatVaticanIIbelievedthatitwasimperativethatthe
CatholicChurchexpressanewattitudetowardtheJewishcommunity.The
painfulawarenessofmassive,unjustsufferingintheShoahandthedifficult
recognitionthatcenturiesofCatholicanti-Jewishteachingandpracticehad
fosteredanimosityandhatredtowardtheJewsmotivatedthesearchfornew
16Ibid.
17Ibid.,n.29.