Judaism and Catholicism in Dialogue

In the 20th and 21st centuries, the Roman Catholic Church has been striving anew to understand the mission God has entrusted to it. It has become self evident that we cannot engage in this self-reflection unless we learn to understand our roots in Judaism. Pope John Paul II has said that the Jewish religion is "intrinsic" to Catholicism; that we share a “common spiritual patrimony”; and that, “It could be said, that you are our elder brothers.”

The purpose of this web page is to enhance Jewish-Catholic dialogue. The process of dialogue is one of self-revelation, not one of debate or conversion. Dialogue is a partnership in which both partners pledge to express their belief as clearly as possible, as respectfully, listen to the other partner share their faith with equal honesty and candor. Questions exist for the purpose of clarification, not confrontation.

From the Catholic perspective, we admit that this dialogue is long over due, and, confess that we are the ones who have long delayed. Nevertheless, we are here now. Through this page you will find the essential church documents that have brought the dialogue into being. While many of these have been around at least forty years, it is likely that many Catholics have not been exposed to them. We encourage you to take the time to read and study them.

You will also find a selection of books relevant to Jewish Christian dialogue. You might be surprised, as I was, to learn just how many titles are available on this subject.

Because it is always best to have people explain their own faith in their own words, we are also including some links to sites where people can find out more information on Judaism itself.