60 Years of Nostra Aetate: How AJC Continues to Shape Catholic-Jewish Relations and Combat Antisemitism - Faith & Freedom News

60 Years of Nostra Aetate: Transforming Catholic-Jewish Relations

60 Years of Nostra Aetate

How AJC Continues to Shape Catholic-Jewish Relations and Combat Antisemitism

🕊️ 1965 – 2025: Six Decades of Dialogue

AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE

Sixty years ago, Catholic-Jewish relations were transformed for the better through Nostra Aetate—the Roman Catholic Church’s revolutionary declaration stating that Jews bear no collective responsibility for Jesus’ death, affirming the Jewish roots of Christianity, and calling for genuine dialogue between the two communities. American Jewish Committee (AJC) was there from the beginning, as a key partner in shaping this historic document.

Years of Transformation

1965

Vatican II Declaration

2,000

Years of History Changed

Today, that work remains essential to Jewish safety and security around the world, and it’s why AJC is leading the Jewish community’s global commemoration of this milestone anniversary.

The Importance of Continued Dialogue

🤝 AJC at the Forefront

Continuing the legacy of Nostra Aetate, AJC has remained at the forefront of Catholic-Jewish dialogue. We’ve built enduring relationships with successive popes, cardinals, and other Church leaders, working to translate Nostra Aetate’s groundbreaking vision into concrete action.

Pope Leo XIV’s Commitment

✟ Historic First Day Outreach

This year, on the day of his election, Pope Leo XIV invited Rabbi Noam Marans to his Inauguration Mass and pledged to strengthen the Church’s dialogue with the Jewish people in the spirit of Nostra Aetate.

The day after his inauguration, Rabbi Marans had the honor to meet Pope Leo and present to him AJC’s Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition—an initiative developed in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to equip Catholic leaders with necessary tools to combat antisemitism in all its modern forms.

Suffice to say, Leo had many things to contemplate on that momentous day. That he would take time to reach out to representatives of the world’s 15 million Jews as he was about to become the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics was as unexpected as it was welcome.

— Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Director of Interreligious Affairs

Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition

📚 Combating Modern Antisemitism

AJC’s Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition represents a groundbreaking collaboration with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. This comprehensive resource equips Catholic leaders, educators, and communities with the tools to recognize and combat antisemitism in all its contemporary forms.

The initiative addresses modern manifestations of antisemitism, from online hate speech to conspiracy theories, providing practical guidance rooted in Catholic teaching and the principles of Nostra Aetate.

AJC’s Year-Long Global Commemorations

Throughout this year, AJC is leading commemorations of Nostra Aetate with events that honor the past while confronting today’s challenges. In addition to AJC-led programs across the U.S., from New York to Miami, Atlanta to Los Angeles, featuring preeminent scholars, cardinals, and Church leaders, AJC has held major events around the world:

🇮🇹 Rome, Italy

Rabbi Marans met with Pope Leo XIV and spoke alongside global interfaith leaders at the Sant’Egidio International Meeting for Peace—attended by Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Queen Mathilde of Belgium—and at Pontifical Gregorian University’s conference, “Towards the Future: Re-Thinking Nostra Aetate Today.”

🇪🇸 Toledo, Spain

At AJC’s Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs (BILLA) 20th Anniversary Strategic Forum, local Jewish leaders and Archbishop Francisco Cerro Chaves commemorated Nostra Aetate at the historic Santa María la Blanca Synagogue, a modern-day symbol of interfaith coexistence.

🇺🇸 Georgetown University

AJC partnered with Georgetown to host a two-day conference in September, bringing together academics, religious leaders, and students to examine Nostra Aetate’s lasting influence on interfaith relations.

🌍 AJC Global Forum 2025

At the premier global Jewish advocacy conference, Rabbi Marans sat down with Rabbi David Rosen, one of the world’s foremost interreligious leaders, to reflect on this landmark anniversary.

Why This Matters Now

As antisemitism surges to alarming levels worldwide, the Catholic-Jewish alliance forged through Nostra Aetate is more vital than ever.

For the better part of two millennia, Christianity portrayed Jews as Christ-killers. That maxim contributed to much of the hate and violence directed at Jews. In contrast, Nostra Aetate told the faithful that Jews must not be “presented as rejected or accursed by God,” and reminded Catholics that Jesus was born, raised, taught and died as a Jew.

— Rabbi Noam Marans, National Catholic Reporter Op-Ed

Ultimately, in the words of Pope John Paul II, Catholics could and should understand Judaism as “intrinsic” to Catholicism, and see Jews as “dearly beloved brothers,” even “elder brothers.”

Addressing Current Challenges

⚠️ Navigating Recent Tensions

There remains some strain between our communities in need of repair. Tensions flared during Pope Francis’ final months, particularly when he suggested that accusations against Israel regarding genocide should be investigated.

For many Jews, this represented more than a philosophical disagreement with the pontiff. There were deeply felt concerns about how Francis’ critical messaging might endanger Jews — especially at a time of surging antisemitism around the globe. There are many who also believe that the Jewish people deserved more understanding and grace in this post-Nostra Aetate era, especially after Israel had suffered the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue the momentum of this precious dialogue of ours.

— Pope Leo XIV, First Meeting with Jewish Leaders

Now, with a ceasefire in Gaza and with hopes for a longer-term agreement that will bring the war to an end, we must look forward. Catholics and Jews will need to speak to each other more about the connection between Jewish identity and Israel, and Catholic theology of the land. Otherwise, Catholic-Jewish relations will remain vulnerable.

The Work That Remains

There is also one of the great challenges the church has faced in the post-Nostra Aetate era to still contend with: learning how to read and preach the Gospel in a way that does not contribute to anti-Judaism.

New Testament passages that could be interpreted as anti-Jewish are still often read in churches without any mitigating commentary to prevent them from being misunderstood as modern day anti-Jewish rhetoric. Without that context, a parishioner could inadvertently apply an ancient negative depiction of Jews to Jews of today.

That doesn’t mean we need a Nostra Aetate 2.0, but perhaps the church could use this 60th anniversary as a gentle reminder that words and how they are spoken really do matter.

— Rabbi Noam Marans

Looking Forward with Hope

🌟 An Enduring Foundation

Even with these challenges, Rabbi Marans remains an optimist, thanks to Nostra Aetate. It helped transform the place of the Jewish people not only in the context of Catholic-Jewish relations, but arguably within the wider world.

Whatever challenges the Jewish people confront today, we are not going back to a pre-Nostra Aetate era.

“On this 60th anniversary, I think of my grandparents born and raised in and around Bialystok, Poland, at the end of the 19th century, in a world that was dangerous and eventually lethal for many Jews. The idea that their grandson could today speak so warmly and openly with Catholics, including the pope himself, would be to them nothing short of preposterous, but welcome nonetheless.”

— Rabbi Noam Marans

The Shared Responsibility

Neither Catholics nor Jews can let their guard down. Nostra Aetate is a muscle that will shrivel without necessary exercise. That is our shared responsibility as we move forward. I am eternally grateful that Nostra Aetate has allowed us to keep the conversations going and provide the vigilance for them to be sustained. Our world needs this collaboration.

— Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Director of Interreligious Affairs

While our communities may not always agree on every issue, the foundation Nostra Aetate established allows us to navigate these conversations productively and in good faith.

As the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, AJC will continue to foster allyship across interfaith communities worldwide. Working with our Catholic partners to confront antisemitism is essential to this work, and because of this transformative declaration, our collaboration will endure well into the future.

Read the Full Story:

📰 AJC: 60 Years On, Nostra Aetate Keeps Informing Catholic-Jewish Relations

✡ ✟ Six Decades of Dialogue, Unity, and Shared Commitment ✟ ✡

American Jewish Committee: Leading Interfaith Dialogue

For sixty years, AJC has been at the forefront of Catholic-Jewish relations, helping to shape and sustain the transformative vision of Nostra Aetate. From the Vatican to communities worldwide, AJC continues to build bridges, combat antisemitism, and foster understanding between Catholics and Jews.

Through initiatives like Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition and global commemorative events, AJC ensures that the spirit of Nostra Aetate remains vibrant and relevant for new generations facing contemporary challenges.

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