Catholic-Jewish dialogue.

In December we summarized the October 13, 2000, statement issued by the Canadian bishops entitled Jubilee: Renewing our common bonds with the Jewish community (News in Brief, pp. 27-28). We follow this up with the text of the concluding recommendations.

Practical steps

Over the past number of years, the Church has come to an acknowledgement of God's call to profound change in our relations with Judaism and with the Jewish people. How can we express our Jubilee commitment to this?

* Prayer: In light of our shared spiritual heritage, Christians and Jews may find it appropriate to pray together on certain occasions. Shared prayer which is faithful to both traditions may be a powerful stimulus to mutual understanding and reconciliation.

* Visists and social events: Understanding may be fostered through combined or separate visits to places of worship, schools, museums or other similar sites. Joint social events might provide a good opportunity to meet Jewish neighbours.

* Conversations: Group conversations and home dialogues in which participants discuss various topics or themes in openness, candour and friendship, may be a concrete step in promoting understanding. This is the beginning of a process in which we hope to engage respectfully.

* Study of Church documents: Diocesan and parochial organizations, schools and especially seminaries might plan programs to explain and implement Nostra Aetate and subsequent official documents. The liturgical season of Lent with its focus on repentance and reconciliation seems a particularly apporpriate time to offer such programs.

* Preaching and teaching: The goal in preaching and teaching is to present Jews and Judaism not only in an honest and objective manner, free from prejudice and without giving offence, but also with full awareness of our sharing in a common heritage of faith.

* Printed texts and the media: School texts, prayer and hymn books must reflect the content and spirit of church teaching. Of particular importance is the Jewish tradition of not saying aloud the Holy Name of God, which is usually printed as YHWH or Yahweh. Thus where it appears in Bible translations or hymns, a replacement such as "The Lord," "The Eternal One," or simply "God" should be said instead.

* Co-operation on issues of justice and peace: Founded on the Word of God, Jewish and Christian traditions are aware of the unique value of the human person. Wherever possible, co-operation is to be encouraged in social endeavours designed to promote public welfare and morality, especially in issues related to peace, justice and human rights and dignity. Participation in programs to commemorate the Holocaust (Shoah) may help to raise consciousness of these issues and promote joint Christian and Jewish commitments to them.