“The Jews are our brothers; the Pope does not go back on his word”

The next Vicar of Christ

by Alan Simons

This past January,  Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with Jews said in a statement to Italian Religious Information Service SIR, “The Catholic Church will not go back on the Nostra Aetate declaration because it cannot call the Council into question; this is unthinkable. And the Holy Father cannot go turn his back on his magisterium.”

The statement was made ahead of the Day for Jewish-Christian dialogue celebrated in Italy on January 17.

Cardinal Koch added, “Jews are our elder brothers: Christians and Jews are inseparable, especially in Benedict XVI’s vision of the unity between the Two Testaments. This is the clear vision also in light of the Second Vatican Council Declaration Nostra Aetate. The Catholic Church is in no doubt about the value this declaration still has today…”

It was Pope John Paul II who said, “The Jewish religion is not extrinsic to us but in a certain way intrinsic to our own religion. With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers, and, in a certain way, it can be said that you are our elder brothers.”

During Tuesday evening the first election results will be known.  I have no claim to know what will happen. One just hopes that not only brotherly love will prevail, but the Vicar of Christ will also recognise our sisters.

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