Nostra Aetate at 60: Spotlight on Interreligious Relations

by Julien Hammond

Nostra Aetate revisited

1. An introductory section situates the Church’s interest in interreligious relations within a context of growing “bonds of friendship” that have developed between all peoples that have already developed between all peoples in the two decades since the Second World War. From the Christian point of view, all of humanity is created by God and sustained by God’s grace, and “all share a common destiny, namely God.” The different religions of the world present different responses to the great questions of human existence: Where do we come from? Where are we going? What is the meaning and purpose of life? What is the origin of evil in the world, and how do we overcome it? There is inherent value in exploring “what people have in common and what tends to bring them together.”
2. Section two describes in the most general terms the main tenets of certain religious traditions, namely Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as “other religions which are found throughout the world [that] attempt in different ways to overcome the restlessness of people’s hearts by outlining a program of life covering doctrine, moral precepts, and sacred rites.”This section also contains the often quoted (and often misquoted) paragraph that admits a certain tension between the Church’s desire to dialogue and its obligation to evangelize.

   The Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions. It has a high regard for the manner of life and conduct, the precepts and doctrines which, although differing in many ways from its own teaching, nevertheless reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men and women. Yet it proclaims and is in duty bound to proclaim without fail, Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 1.6). In him, in whom God reconciled all things to himself (see 2 Corinthians 5.18-19), people find the fullness of their religious life.

   The Council Fathers urge Catholics, therefore,

   to enter with prudence and charity into discussion and collaboration with members of other religions. Let Christians, while witnessing to their own faith and way of life, acknowledge, preserve and encourage the spiritual and moral truths found among non-Christians, together with their social life and culture.

   These two paragraphs, which were considered shocking at the time and have lost nothing of their impact in our contemporary context, form the basis for much of the interreligious work undertaken by the Holy See and the Catholic Church in general throughout the post-conciliar era. (More on this below).
3. The third section of NA focuses on the Church’s relationship to Islam. As the second largest religious population in the world, and one that Christianity has often been at odds with historically, it is very significant to read in NA that “the Church has … a high regard for the Muslims.” After identifying many of the teachings that Christians and Muslims hold in common, and acknowledging the troubled history of Christian-Muslim relations, the Council rather directly (and naively?) “pleads with all to forget the past,” before imploring both communities to work together to achieve mutual understanding and to “preserve and promote peace, liberty, social justice, and moral values.” The legacy of post-Vatican II interreligious relations between Catholic and Muslim leaders and communities is both remarkable and worthy of a dedicated future article in this blog series.
4. Section four of NA turns our attention to the relationship of the Church to Judaism and the Jewish people. We have featured this section previously in a couple of One Body posts (for example, here and here) for its remarkable content and impact in setting a new course for modern Jewish-Catholic relations.NA #4 outlines the strong spiritual ties that bind Christianity to Judaism, in a way that is quite distinct from the Christian relationship to any other religion. Addressing various erroneous teachings that tragically made their way into Christian consciousness over the centuries, the Council affirms the permanence of the Jewish covenant with God, presents a corrective to the anti-Jewish accusation of deicide, offers an instruction for amending catechesis and preaching regarding Jews and Judaism, and pronounces an explicit rejection of antisemitism “levelled at any time or from any source against the Jews.” These “new” correctives and teachings have all become the cornerstones of Catholic-Jewish dialogue in the post-conciliar era.
5. The fifth and final section of NA implores the whole Church to embrace anew the commandment to love our neighbour: “We cannot truly pray to God the Father of all if we treat any people as other than sisters and brothers, for all are created in God’s image.” The Council declares powerfully, “any discrimination against people or any harassment of them on the basis of their race, colour, condition in life, or religion” is “foreign to the mind of Christ.”  And, finally, readers are reminded that the goal of all interreligious dialogue is ultimately peacemaking, friendship, and the integrity of the Gospel lived in the world.

Legacy of Nostra Aetate

• supporting dialogue among Christians concerning relations with followers of other religions;
• providing resources and guidance for the work of dialogue that is being done in local Catholic Churches;
• sustaining relationships and sponsoring events that foster a spirit of dialogue and fraternity with various groups representing other religious traditions;
• encouraging the study of religions among Christians and inviting followers of other religions to study Christianity more deeply;
• promoting the formation of persons dedicated to dialogue, both at an intellectual and lived-experience level.
  (Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, “Goals and Activities.”)

• Dialogue and Mission (1984)
• Dialogue and Proclamation (1991)
• Dialogue in Truth and Charity (2014)

Interreligious Relations and the Catholic Church in Canada

Nostra Aetate continues to provide inspiration and guidance as to how, despite our differences, Christians and people of other beliefs can work together to build up a world that reflects the best of our religious heritages, where religion is a source of peace and collaboration, instead of an excuse for violence or division.