📖Summary

According to the Catholic Church, Nostra Aetate, the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on October 28, 1965. Though one of the shortest documents of the Second Vatican Council, it is among the most consequential, fundamentally reshaping the Catholic Church's relationship with other world religions, particularly Judaism. The document begins from the premise that all peoples comprise a single community with a single origin and a single goal, namely God, whose providence, manifestations of goodness, and saving design extend to all humankind. It acknowledges that from ancient times down to the present, people have perceived a hidden power which hovers over the course of things and events, and different religions have attempted to respond to the restless searchings of the human heart. Nostra Aetate treats Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism with respect and recognition of the truths found within each tradition. Regarding Hinduism and Buddhism, it notes their attempts to address the unsatisfied desire for a state of perfect liberation and the supreme illumination. Regarding Islam, the document notes that Muslims adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself, merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men. It calls for mutual understanding and cooperation between Christians and Muslims. The most extensive and historically significant section addresses the Church's relationship with Judaism. The document affirms the spiritual bond linking the people of the New Covenant with Abraham's stock and recalls that the Church received the revelation of the Old Testament through the people with whom God established the Ancient Covenant. It repudiates the charge of collective Jewish guilt for the death of Christ and decries all displays of anti-Semitism directed against Jews at any time and by anyone. Nostra Aetate concludes by rejecting any discrimination based on race, color, condition of life, or religion as contrary to the mind of Christ.

💡Key Points