From Pope Paul VI to Pope Francis: Respect for Other Religions From Pope Francis The message of the Declaration Nostra Aetate is always timely. Let us briefly recall a few of its points: the growing interdependence of peoples; the human search for the meaning of life, of suffering, of death, questions which always accompany our journey; the common origin and the common destiny of humanity; the uniqueness of the human family; religions as the search for God or of the Absolute, within our various ethnicities and cultures; the benevolent and attentive gaze of the Church on religions: she rejects nothing that is beautiful and true in these; the Church regards with esteem the believers of all religions, appreciating their spiritual and moral commitment; and the Church, open to dialogue with all, is at the same time faithful to the truths in which she believes, beginning with the truth that the salvation offered to everyone has its origin in Jesus, the One Saviour, and that the Holy Spirit is at work, as a font of peace and love. On the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Promulgation of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate, October 28, 2015 One of Pope Paul VI s great contributions to the Church and the world was his 1965 Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate). Pope St. John XXIII had developed the concept of such a document, and the final form of the declaration came out of discussions during the Second Vatican Council. This document is more relevant than ever as fear and tensions among different people and religious groups continue to grow and as we need a united world to build the common good and to save God s Creation. Pope Paul VI s text declared the Church s task was to promote unity and love among people and nations, and he wrote to declare what humans have in common and what draws them to fellowship (Nostra Aetate [NA], 1). Paul stressed our common bonds: One is the community of all peoples, one their origin, for God made the whole human race to live over the face of the earth, (NA, 1). He believes that the final goal of all humans is God and that His providence, His manifestations of goodness, His saving design extend to all... (NA, 1). We all share a search for meaning and for answers of how to live a good life and how to deal with suffering and death. There is also a shared sense of the hidden power which hovers over the course of things and over the events of human history (NA, 2). Pope Paul VI posits that all religions struggle to answer the same basic questions regarding life and death and the nature of the Sacred. 1 / 6 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
Eastern Religions In Nostra Aetate, Pope Paul VI first briefly discusses Hinduism and Buddhism, reminding us that these and other religions try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by proposing teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites. He emphasizes that the Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all (NA, 2). (Thomas Merton wrote extensively about the light he received from Buddhism while he continued his vocation as a Trappist monk promoting justice and peace.) Pope Paul VI is clear in proclaiming that the Church exhorts all her children through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of these and other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, to recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found in such religions and others around the world (NA, 2). He goes on to speak about Muslims and our common heritage as children of Abraham, the great prophet who is considered the common ancestor of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths. The Church and Muslims The papal declaration of Paul VI reminds us that the Church regards with esteem Muslims. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving, and fasting (NA, 3). The pope recognized historical conflicts between Christians and Muslims, but urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding [between all Christians and Muslims] and to preserve as well as to promote together, for the benefit of all mankind, social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom (NA, 3). 2 / 6 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
The Church and the Jewish Community One main focus of Nostra Aetate is dedicated to the bond that spiritually ties the people of the New Covenant to Abraham s stock, reminding the Christian community that Mary, Joseph, and Christ himself were Jewish, as were the Apostles and first followers. Christ was the final Covenant of the Israelites and He was the Messiah their Prophets announced: the Church believes that by His cross, Christ, Our Peace, reconciled Jews and Gentiles, making both one in Himself (NA, 4). Pope Paul VI makes it clear that the Jews should not be held responsible for the death of Christ: the Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God, as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel s spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone (NA, 4). Pope Paul VI s Final Reflections Pope Paul IV emphasizes that we cannot truly call on God, the Father of all, if we refuse to treat in a brotherly way any human created in the image of God. Man s relation to God the Father and his relation to humans, his brothers and sisters, are so linked together that Scripture says: He who does not love does not know God (1 John 4:8) (NA, 5). The pope is quite clear denouncing any theory or practice that leads to discrimination and the rejection of anyone or any people because all have human dignity and the rights that follow from this dignity (NA, 5). This seminal document concludes with a restatement of basic principles: The Church reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrimination against men or harassment of them because of their race, color, condition of life, or religion. On the contrary, following in the footsteps of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul the Church ardently implores the Christian faithful to maintain good fellowship among the nations (1 Peter 2:12), and, if possible, to live for their part in peace with all men, so that they may truly be sons of the Father who is in heaven (NA, 5). 3 / 6 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
After Pope Paul VI All popes after Paul VI have been clear on their affirmation and support of both Nostra Aetate and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), created by Pope Paul IV in May 1964 as the Secretariat for Non-Christians (it was renamed the PCID by Pope John Paul II in 1988.) John Paul II, who marked the 10th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, called the document an expression of Faith and an inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as a word of Divine Wisdom (Rabbi David Rosen, Nostra Aetate, Forty Years After Vatican II: Present and Future Perspectives, October 27, 2005, http://bit.ly/2vbildj). In preparation for the Jubilee Year in 2000, John Paul II prompted the PCID to hold an assembly on interfaith collaboration in 1999; the assembly was marked by a ceremony in St. Peter s Square with the Pope presiding. John Paul s interfaith prayer services for peace in Assisi in 1986, 1993, and 2002 gave the Church visual images of Nostra Aetate in action. Another well-known image is of Pope Benedict XVI with his head bowed in the Great Mosque in Istanbul; after a few missteps with some Muslim communities, Pope Benedict XVI used the Mosque visit to reaffirm his commitment to central tenets of Nostra Aetate. And both John Paul II and Benedict XVI visited Holocaust memorials and synagogues to pray with Jewish communities. Pope Francis on Nostra Aetate On the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, Pope Francis addressed an interfaith assembly in 2015: We can remember together the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of the Second Vatican Council Nostra Aetate, On the Relation of the Catholic Church to Non-Christian Religions. This subject was dear to the heart of Blessed Pope Paul VI for this reason I express my gratitude and my warm welcome to the people and groups of various religions, who today have wished to attend, especially to those who have come from afar. Pope Francis goes on to praise the declaration, which was developed by the Church though a reading of the signs of the times in view of an update oriented by a twofold faithfulness: faithfulness to the ecclesial tradition and faithfulness to the history of the men and women of our time. He affirms the basic assertion that God reveals himself in creation and in history and continues to speak to the heart and to the spirit of every human being who seeks the truth and how to practice it ( Interreligious General Audience On the Occasion of the 50th Anniverary of The Promulgation of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate, October 28, 2015, http://bit.ly/2vbhpwj). Pope Francis realizes that because of violence and terrorism an attitude of suspicion or even condemnation of religions has spread. In reality, although no religion is immune to the risk of deviations of a fundamentalist or extremist nature in individuals or groups, it is necessary to look to the positive values that religions live and propound and that are sources of hope. It is a matter of raising our gaze in order to go further (Ibid). Pope Francis cautions us that we need to be open and respectful to others from different faiths: Mutual respect is the condition and, at the same time, the aim of interreligious 4 / 6 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
dialogue: respecting others right to life, to physical integrity, to fundamental freedoms, namely freedom of conscience, of thought, of expression and of religion. He reminds us that as believers the world is looking to us to demonstrate respect and also asking us for effective responses regarding issues: peace, hunger, the poverty that afflicts millions of people, the environmental crisis, violence (especially violence committed in the name of religion), corruption, moral decay, the crisis of the family, the crisis of the economy, and the crises of hope (Ibid). Pope Francis promotes encounter and dialogue with those who are different from us to spread justice and peace: Dialogue based on confident respect can bring seeds of good that in their turn may bud into friendship and cooperation in many fields, especially in service to the poor, to the least, to the elderly, through welcoming migrants, and attention to those who are excluded. We can walk together taking care of one another and of creation. All believers of every religion: Together we can praise the Creator for giving us the garden of the world to till and keep as a common good, and we can achieve shared plans to overcome poverty and to ensure to every man and woman the conditions for a dignified life (Ibid). He ends his commentary reminding us to have mercy for others and to work together in the field of the works of charity. In this field, where compassion counts above all else, we may be joined by many people who are not believers or who are in search of God and of the Truth, people who place at the center the face of another person, in particular the face of a needy brother or sister. The Pope links religious tolerance to care for creation: The mercy to which we are called embraces all of creation, which God entrusted to us so that we keep it, not exploit it or worse still, destroy it. Francis ends with calls for prayer for harmony: We are brothers and sisters! May our prayers each one according to his or her own tradition adhere fully to the will of God, who wants all men and women to recognize they are brothers and sisters and live as such, forming the great human family in the harmony of diversity (Ibid). Reflection Questions 1. Why do so many people, even people of faith, refuse to acknowledge that we are children of the same God? What drives people apart today? What can bring them together? What roles can you play in promoting the message of Nostra Aetate? 2. Why does Pope Francis call us to see that the work of justice, peace, and care for creation is related to interfaith respect and dialogue, especially when we look at the signs of the times? 3. What do you know about other religions and cultures? How can you grow in knowledge of other religions and cultures; where are encounters possible in your communities? How do we help others make such encounters a priority? 5 / 6 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
Prayer: Celebrating the Legacy of Pope Paul VI We celebrate the legacy of Pope Paul VI, And his words call to us today: One is the community of all peoples, One their origin; God s love extends to all. We are all children of the same God. Pope Paul VI reminds us that our relationship With God is linked with our relationship to others: We cannot say we love the Father If we do not grow in knowledge, in encounters, And in love for His children. http://bit.ly/2tckfdj We are all children of the same God. At this time of growing intolerance And fear of others faith and cultures, Let us remember we are called To understand, to respect, to dialogue, And not to reject those who seek the Sacred On paths different from ours. We are all children of the same God. We are called to good fellowship By this good Pope and the popes who followed, As we are called to live in justice and peace, Recognizing the bonds among us Can be stronger than fear and hate. May we all come to realize We are all children of the same God, Creating the common good together. Amen. Jane Deren, Ph.D. 6 / 6 Copyright 2017, Education for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.