parties precisely acknowledges this significance. Without 'Nostra Aetate', the   
   establishment of these relations would surely not have been feasible. The   
   Fundamental Agreement not only paved the way for the historic papal pilgrimages   
   to the Holy Land and thus to the establishment of the bilateral commission with   
   the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, but arguably reflected more than anything else   
   the fact that the Catholic Church had truly repudiated its portrayal of the   
   Jewish people as condemned wanderers to be homeless until the final advent".   
    "The reference to peace in the Holy land as pertinent to the Catholic-Jewish   
   relationship is also important. The peoples there live in mutual alienation and   
   disappointment, and I believe that the Catholic Church can play an important   
   role in rebuilding trust, such as the initiative of prayer for peace taken by   
   Pope Francis. Let me express the hope that there soon will be further   
   initiatives to enable religion to be a source of healing rather than conflict;   
   and to ensure that these are coordinated with those who have the political   
   authority to pave the way to enable the land and the city of peace to fulfil   
   its   
   name".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Summary of "The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable"   
    Vatican City, 10 December 2015 (VIS) - The Commission for Religious Relations   
   with the Jews has published today the document "The Gifts and the Calling of   
   God   
   are Irrevocable: a Reflection on Theological Questions Pertaining to   
   Catholic-Jewish Relations on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of 'Nostra   
   Aetate' (No. 4)". The text consists of a Preface and seven chapters, entitled:   
   "A brief history of the impact of 'Nostra Aetate' (No.4) over the last 50   
   years", "The special theological status of Jewish-Catholic dialogue",   
   "Revelation in history as 'Word of God' in Judaism and Christianity", "The   
   relationship between the Old and New Testament and the Old and New Covenant",   
   "The universality of salvation in Jesus Christ and God's unrevoked covenant   
   with   
   Israel", "The Church's mandate to evangelise in relation to Judaism", and "The   
   goals of dialogue with Judaism".   
    "Fifty years ago", says the Preface, "the declaration 'Nostra Aetate' of the   
   Second Vatican Council was promulgated. Its fourth article presents the   
   relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people in a new   
   theological framework. The following reflections aim at looking back with   
   gratitude on all that has been achieved over the last decades in the   
   Jewish-Catholic relationship, providing at the same time a new stimulus for the   
   future. Stressing once again the unique status of this relationship within the   
   wider ambit of interreligious dialogue, theological questions are further   
   discussed, such as the relevance of revelation, the relationship between the   
   Old   
   and the New Covenant, the relationship between the universality of salvation in   
   Jesus Christ and the affirmation that the covenant of God with Israel has never   
   been revoked, and the Church's mandate to evangelize in relation to Judaism.   
   This document presents Catholic reflections on these questions, placing them in   
   a theological context, in order that their significance may be deepened for   
   members of both faith traditions. The text is not a magisterial document or   
   doctrinal teaching of the Catholic Church, but is a reflection prepared by the   
   Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews on current theological   
   questions that have developed since the Second Vatican Council. It is intended   
   to be a starting point for further theological thought with a view to enriching   
   and intensifying the theological dimension of Jewish-Catholic dialogue".   
    The first chapter explains that great steps have been taken in the dialogue   
   over the last fifty years, and from a detached co-existence we have arrived at   
   a   
   deep friendship. The Conciliar declaration "Nostra aetate" (No.4) definitively   
   clarified, for the first time, the theological position of the Catholic Church   
   with respect to Judaism; the document has had a profound impact on many levels.   
    With regard to the special theological status of Jewish-Catholic dialogue, the   
   second chapter affirms that due to the Jewish roots of Christianity, the   
   dialogue with Judaism cannot in any way be compared with the dialogue with the   
   other world religions. Jesus can only be understood in the Jewish context of   
   his   
   time, even though as the Messiah of Israel and the Son of God he transcends   
   that   
   historical horizon.   
    God reveals himself in his Word, he communicates with humanity. For Jews, this   
   Word is present in the Torah; for Christians, the Word of God is incarnated in   
   Jesus Christ. However, the Word of God is indivisible and calls people to   
   respond in such a way that enables them to live in the right relationship with   
   God, as explained in the third chapter.   
    The relationship between the Old and New Testament and the Old and New   
   Covenant   
   is the subject of the fourth chapter. There is an indissoluble unity between   
   them, even though the two Testaments are interpreted differently by Jews and   
   Christians on the basis of their respective religious traditions. For   
   Christians, the Old Testament is to be comprehended and interpreted in the   
   light   
   of the New Testament. The Old and the New Testament are part of the one and   
   only   
   history of the covenant between God and his people, even though the New   
   Testament is to be considered as the fulfilment of the promises of the Old.   
    The fifth chapter emphasises that through Jesus Christ - and through his death   
   and resurrection - all people have a part in salvation, all are saved. Although   
   Jews cannot believe in Jesus Christ as the universal redeemer, they have a part   
   in salvation, because the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. How   
   that   
   can be possible remains an unfathomable mystery in the salvific plan of God.   
    The sixth chapter considers the Church's mandate to evangelise in relation to   
   Judaism. While in the dialogue with Judaism Catholics bear witness to their   
   faith in Jesus Christ, they refrain from active attempts at conversion or   
   mission towards Jews. The Catholic Church does not envisage any institutional   
   mission towards the Jews.   
    In the seventh and final chapter, it is concluded that engaging in fraternal   
   dialogue, Jews and Catholics must learn to understand one another better, to   
   seek reconciliation increasingly, and to commit themselves together to promote   
   justice, peace and the care of creation, and to make every effort to oppose   
   anti-Semitism. They must intensify their cooperation in the humanitarian sphere   
   in assisting the poor, the vulnerable, and the marginalised, in order to   
   become,   
   together, a blessing for the world.   
    The full text of the document can be consulted at:   
      
   http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/r   
   lations-jews-doc   
   s/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20151210_ebraismo-nostra-aetate_en.html   
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
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   Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting   
   the source:  V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.   
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