Homilies and Addresses of Cardinal Mahony

Catholic/Jewish Relations in the 21st Century

Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles

The Board of Rabbis of Southern California
Tuesday, November 24, 1998

I would like to thank the Board of Rabbis of Southern California and, in particular, Rabbi Lawrence Goldmark, President of the Board, for the invitation to speak with you this morning on the topic: "Catholic/Jewish Relations in the 21st Century." I am honored by the invitation to address this topic as part of the series of your very important discussions on the theme of "The Rabbinate in the 21st Century."

Trying to predict the future of Catholic/Jewish relations can be very problematic, and I shall not attempt to do so here. Rather, I shall draw from the past and attend to a few developments in the present in an effort to chart the general direction of our onward journey together. What I prefer to do is offer a brief tour of the horizon, pointing to realistic goals on the way to fuller reconciliation between our two ancient traditions. This journey toward reconciliation has been underway for many years. And, as I survey the terrain, one thing is altogether clear: The prospects for Catholic/Jewish relations in the 21st Century are more promising than at any other point in our shared history.

My perspective as a Roman Catholic looking to the future of Catholic/Jewish relations is shaped by three concerns: What from the past should be set aside--and what must eliminated? What from the past calls for repentance? And what must we still learn to bring forth from our shared heritage in response to the call of the One God?

I. Recognizing Local Initiative

When we consider the promise and possibility of Catholic/Jewish relations in the 21st Century it is important to consider, however briefly, our common history in Los Angeles. The Catholic-Jewish dialogue in the United States is the oldest and most advanced in the world. And much of this dialogue was pioneered here in Los Angeles. Indeed, the dialogue in Los Angeles is not only a model for similar efforts in other parts of the United States; it has become something of an example for similar groups in other nations as well.

Among the many fruits of this ongoing dialogue, I draw attention to the publication of A Journey of Discovery: A Resource Manual for Jewish-Catholic Dialogue, edited by Rabbi Alfred Wolf and Monsignor Royale Vadakin. This volume contains joint statements and valuable resources developed by the Los Angeles Respect Life, Priest/Rabbi, and Women’s Dialogue groups over the course of two decades. I draw attention to this volume in particular because it contains two joint statements of particular import at this point in our history. The joint statement on the Shoah entitled "The Holocaust: At the Edge of Comprehension," was drafted jointly over many months by two members of the Respect Life Committee: One a Roman Catholic scholar (Michael Downey) and the other a Jewish scholar (Michael Nutkiewicz). Approved by the joint committee, the statement was published in 1990 during the 25th anniversary year of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Church’s relations with non-Christian religions. For our purposes it is intriguing to note that many of the directions and orientations of the more recent Vatican Document "We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah" (16 March 1998) are anticipated in the Los Angeles statement – by nearly eight years! Similarly, "Forgiveness/Reconciliation: A Reflective Statement," the work of the Los Angeles Priest-Rabbi Committee, likewise published in the 25th anniversary year of Nostra Aetate, helps clarify our differing perspectives on the nature of repentance and the need for forgiveness. As such, it will be of great help to us all as we consider the wide ranging implications of Pope John Paul II’s intention to express, at the end of this Millennium of Christianity, the Church’s deep sorrow for the failures of her sons and daughters in every age. We can anticipate that this public act of repentance (teshuvah) will focus in particular on the Shoah.

Recognizing local initiative calls for attention to the exceptional support that the Catholic community has received for the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels from members of the Jewish community: Lew Wasserman’s great gift, the gift from Jeffrey Katzenberg and Dreamworks, the gift from Michael Eisner and Disney. These generous gifts demonstrate a level of commitment that is truly extraordinary. But these gifts are more fully appreciated in view of a much longer history of generosity. Especially in the nineteenth century, the Jewish community was a contributor to Catholic projects, particularly the early renovation of La Placita Church by Bishop Francis Mora. More importantly there was the significant Jewish financial contribution to the building fund drive for Saint Vibiana’s Cathedral. The present efforts on the part of members of the Jewish community, then, are illustrative of a continuing, enduring, deeply treasured relationship.

The singular achievements of Catholic/Jewish relations in Los Angeles cannot be fully appreciated in isolation. From a Roman Catholic perspective, the strides taken at the local level must be considered in light of the leadership provided by Pope John Paul II, who has demonstrated such remarkable openness to authentic dialogue with peoples of other religious traditions. Among his many other accomplishments, amply documented at this time when we are marking his 20 years as pope, we would do well to remember that the establishment of diplomatic relations with the State of Israel took place during his pontificate.

II. Nostra Aetate: A Defining Moment

Taking a somewhat longer and wider view of history, these recent developments, and indeed the promise and possibility for the future of Catholic/Jewish relations must be seen, in Catholic perspective, in light of the singular achievement of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Church’s relations with non-Christian religions (October 28, 1965). After two millennia of often very tumultuous relations, the Roman Catholic Church, large in numbers and steeped in tradition, turned its face toward, rather than away from, the Jewish people -- those who had given birth to the Church and provided its early nurture. Whatever may have been the case in earlier periods of history, the consistent teaching of the Holy See since the Second Vatican Council has acknowledged the enduring and irrevocable validity of God’s covenant with the Jewish people.

In earlier periods, we must admit that the Christian conscience vis-à-vis the Jews had been lulled (the "lulling of conscience" is John Paul II’s phrase). But this must be seen in sharp contrast to Nostra Aetate, which articulated for Catholics a new understanding of Jews and Judaism, an understanding in which there is not the slightest hint of contempt, and not an iota of a "conversionist" agenda. As but one example, nowhere in our liturgy today do we pray for the conversion of the Jews. Rather, the Church calls us to pray for continuing Jewish faithfulness to the Judaism given by divine revelation. Admittedly, this new Catholic understanding of the Jews and Judaism has yet to be fully and altogether implemented in our teaching and preaching. But I can assure you that we are well underway.

III. Future Prospects, Realistic Possibilities

Let me suggest that there are six goals that I see as being well within our collective reach in the 21st century.

1. First is the elimination of all vestiges of anti-Judaism and anti-Jew from all Catholic preaching and teaching. It is now more commonly recognized that the teaching of contempt, to use the apt phrase of Jules Isaac, preached over the centuries by the Church at all levels, now has no place in any teaching, preaching, or theology that bears the name Christian or Catholic. Efforts at elimination are well begun in this country and increasingly so in others. The first goal, then, is that the great work clearly mandated by the Second Vatican Council will be brought to fulfillment in the 21st century: The complete elimination from Catholic teaching and preaching of the last vestiges of the ancient "teaching of contempt" against Jews and Judaism. This may be a more complex task than we realize. Facile dichotomies between "Old" Testament and "New," "law" and "grace," "justice" and "love," " Jesus’ teaching" and "the teaching of the Pharisees" can easily give rise to misunderstandings. So there is yet more work to be done. It is not a free and easy ride, and the task may be particularly challenging for those who preach during Holy Week and the time between Easter and Pentecost.

In addressing the matter of elimination, I have something else in mind as well. And here equal effort on the part of Catholics and Jews is required, not simply desirable. We must together work for the elimination of all vestiges of hate, and of hate crimes of any sort whatsoever. The utter uniqueness of the Shoah sharpens the human sensibility to stand against hatred, discrimination, scapegoating, depersonalization or dehumanization of any sort. Our common work is to protect and defend the marginalized, the ghettoized, the weak, the vulnerable, the voiceless, the nameless, and the forgotten. Ours is a common mandate to work alongside one another for the elimination of hate and hate crimes of any sort.

2. The second goal within our reach is that of mutual respect for the religious traditions and symbols of our distinct traditions. What I have in mind is the replacement of religious triumphalism in both traditions not with mere toleration or, worse, indifference, but with mutual respect and sheer delight in the diversity of God’s good creation. The mutual reconciliation between Christians and Jews, as together God’s people with distinct, integral traditions of response to the divine initiative, can be and perhaps must be a necessary first step on the way to the larger vision of interreligious fellowship, indeed friendship. The Christian-Jewish dialogue is, by any standard, the most advanced in the world. So much depends on its success – or the lack thereof.

3. The third goal is the development within the Jewish community of a deeper understanding of Christianity and, insofar as we Christians are successful in correcting our own ancient stereotypes of Judaism, of a more accurate and sensitive understanding of Christian faith and Christian religious symbols. What I am asking for is a clearer understanding of Christianity and Christian faith; Catholicism and Catholic faith. Truth be told, there is often a deep misunderstanding of key notions of Christian faith: The doctrine of original sin is often thought to hold out a view of human nature and of the world as wholly corrupt; the rich sacramental tradition as an expression of magic or superstition; the Catholic veneration of Mary is judged to be roughly approximate to Mariolatry – or Mary worship; and most problematic of all, the core of Christian faith, the mystery of the Trinity, is sometimes thought to be unwittingly polytheistic. To this there is the added difficulty of a lack of understanding of Church life and practice. What is needed is greater clarity regarding what the Church is and how it functions; what its processes are, as well as its self-understanding.

What I find from time to time in my dealings with people of other religious traditions is just how unfamiliar so many are with just how much things really have changed since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). There is likewise a great measure of unfamiliarity with what is actually taught in our Catholic classrooms and preached by our priests in the pulpits. There is often a sense that, whatever might be said in the official documents, the same old things are said and done in classroom and pulpit. I can assure you that such an impression is simply erroneous.

While by no means perfect, our preaching and teaching is nevertheless qualitatively and irreversibly different from what was taught in the years prior to the Shoah. The fabric of the ancient teaching of contempt has been shredded by the theological renewal among Protestants and Catholics, so that it can never be rewoven again. Only an entirely new weaving, with a very different theological underpinning, will do. The task is for Catholic and Jewish scholars, community and pastoral leaders, to learn of one another’s rich spiritual heritage and together braid a footbridge for the future.

4. The fourth goal, well within our reach as we move toward the next century, is to witness together to that which is shared in our spiritual heritage. The crucial step here is for Jews and Christians to learn to trust one another, to grow together in fidelity, sometimes perhaps for the very first time. But I hope for still more. I hope that we will learn to trust one another, and by virtue of that mutual trust, to stand together in solidarity in and for the sake of the world and its healing, for the reconciliation of all God’s people, for "mending" (tikkum olam), a task to which both of our peoples are called by the One God.

5. The fifth goal is twofold. Following the Vatican Document, "We Remember: Reflections on the Shoah,"(which is likely not the last Roman Catholic statement on the Shoah!!) there are two central mandates for the Church in the United States. These are, first, joint studies undertaken by Catholic and Jewish scholars to go through the long, and often bitter history of Catholic-Jewish relations with a view toward a reconciliation of historical memories. As I have already indicated, we have an impressive legacy of such studies here in Southern California. And second, there is the task of institutionalizing holocaust studies, as age appropriate, in the curricula of our elementary, secondary, and college level schools and religious education programs. The United States, which enjoys both the world’s largest Catholic educational system and the world’s largest Jewish community, is uniquely situated to implement the mandates by the Holy Father and the Holy See in confronting the painful memories of the past, acknowledging the need for repentance, and moving forward to provide a solid catechetical and educational framework for the future. The goal is nothing less than the healing of memory in order to frame a common understanding upon which to base educational programming for future generations. While much work remains to be done in this regard, I note once again the solid beginning that has been made since the Second Vatican Council, and in particular, the efforts of Catholics and Jews in Los Angeles. Ours is an impressive record of achievement that offers hope for further progress toward mutual understanding and deeper reconciliation.

6. In spelling out my sixth and final goal, I turn attention, as I did at the beginning of my remarks, to the importance of local initiative here in Los Angeles. As impoverished Catholics immigrated to the United States from countries such as Ireland, Italy, and Poland, so impoverished Jews immigrated from Russia, Poland, and Lithuania. We are both an immigrant community, and we have both responded to and nurtured immigrants for a sustained period of time. In recent years the Los Angeles Jewish community has expressed its care and concern by assisting Jews fleeing the Soviet Union and Iran. The Church in Los Angeles has a longstanding commitment to serve the needs of the immigrant poor, especially through its parishes and schools.

The inner-city communities of Los Angeles beckon us now with a need that is immense both in size and intensity. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has labored long and hard in the inner-city, remaining in many cases the primary focus of hope and stability. Now, more than ever before, we need you to join us. At times the Catholic community seems stretched to the breaking point because of the enormity of the needs of our inner-city poor. We need you to join us in efforts for better education, housing, health care, social services, and literacy. Our efforts are better together than in isolation. Together we have a long history whose hallmarks are generosity and mutual respect.

Today I invite your mobilization, to join us in a commitment to the faith that does the hard work of justice, working together to bridge the widening gulf between vast wealth and extreme poverty.

IV. Conclusion

I have spoken as one who has benefited from the dialogue that has marked the last thirty years (and more) since the Second Vatican Council. I have spoken at the end of a century that Pope John Paul II has called "the Century of the Shoah." Because of our dialogue, and opportunities like this, we can look forward to the next century with greater hope and confidence than might have been thought possible just a generation ago.

I truly look forward to a new millennium and a new century that will expand and enhance Catholic/Jewish relations in new and positive forms, and I look forward to collaborating with you in this great venture of faith and confidence in a God whose love for us has been made manifest age upon age. Thank you very much.

Catholic/Jewish Relations in the 21st Century

I. Recognizing Local Initiative

II. Nostra Aetate: A Defining Moment

III. Future Prospects, Realistic Possibilities

IV. Conclusion

Pastoral Regions

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