courtesy
of SIDIC
October
28 is a very important date in the hearts of Jews and Christians. In that day,
thirty-six years ago, the Ecumenical Council Vatican II approved, after years of
hard work and much effort, Nostra
Aetate, the
statement by which the Catholic Church intended to mark a new approach to
religions and to Judaism. In the works of the Council, the link between the
brotherly attitude towards Jews and the brotherly attitude towards all believers
is dictated by various reasons: if, on one side, the need for purification and
penitence for the tragic effects of anti-Semitism, to which the Church has not
been completely estranged, was strong, on the other it wanted to stress that the
state of current concrete political affairs was such as to urge not to forget
that the disquieting and pacifying mystery inscribed in every man’s heart
addressed Christians in all parts of the vast worlds, where precious legacies of
faith and hope are expressed in the great religions.
Since
1965 many things have occurred. In our memory we want to especially retain the
meeting in Assisi fifteen years ago, the pilgrimage of the Pope to Jerusalem,
the many encounters that at every level have made possible a respectful and
blessed exchange: through these, rediscovering fraternity, we Catholics became
aware with greater clarity that the faith of Israel is that of our elder
brothers, and, most importantly, that Judaism is as a sacrament of every
otherness that as such the Church must learn to discern, recognize and
celebrate. It is therefore proper in this date for the Pontifical Council to
welcome and to encourage any initiative favouring the growth of a bond with
Judaism, with its theological and spiritual wealth, and with the culture that is
expressed by it. From this starting point – in theological dialogue, in daily
diplomatic relationships in the cultural contact of public opinions – it is
possible to embark again on the development of a fruitful encounter.
Today,
under the weight of mournful and horrifying events of war, everything appears
more arduous: from the city of Jerusalem, dear to the heart and the lips of
every man of peace, to many other cities in the United States and the world, it
seems that what Nostra Aetate and the solemnity of the supreme conciliar
teaching wanted to teach the Church has suddenly been overrun by current events.
But this is precisely the moment to start again and October 28 marks this effort
towards hope, which is more powerful than the fears and the mistakes that have
been committed in the past and will be committed in the future.
I
am therefore thankful to those who made this encounter possible in Villa
Piccolomini and have so kindly invited me to come. I am very sorry that prior
ecumenical engagements do not allow me to assist to an event that, while
celebrating the grace of the Council, also recalls the courage of those who, in
war-time Turkey, have had the courage to help Jews escape Nazi and Fascist
genocide, contributing, without knowing, to the preparation of the spirit with
which the future Pope John XXIII made the Catholic Church undertake a crucial
step in its history. I thank the organizers, the speakers, the excellencies of
the diplomatic corps present and all participants who with this cultural event
help to revive memory.