On the Ways of the Dialogue of the Catholic Church with Jews and Judaism

Abstract

The author, Professor Waldemar Chrostowski, the former member of Polish Bishops Commission for the Dialogue with Judaism (1988–2006), presents the main points, valid both on theological and pastoral level, consisting somewhat like “Decalogue of the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue”: 1. The common roots and common spiritual heritage; 2. The formula of “(in a certain way) our elder brothers”; 3. The firmness of Israel’s election; 4. “Who meets Jesus Christ, meets Judaism”; 5. The responsibility (both historical and theological) for the death of Jesus; 6. Christian theology of Judaism and Jewish theology of Christianity; 7. Shoah/Holocaust and antisemitism; 8. The State of Israel, the Holy Land and Jerusalem; 9. The nature and aims of the Catholic-Jewish dialogue; 10. The possibility of cooperation and common tasks in contemporary world. The concrete solutions and inspirations given by John Paul II and Benedict XVI are mentioned.