Interfaith in our time
CHARLOTTE — Bishop Michael Martin joined local religious leaders Oct. 28 on the campus of Queens University to celebrate the 60th anniversary of “Nostra Aetate,” the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on relations with Judaism, Islam and other world religions.
Held at the Belk Chapel, the evening brought members of the community together to honor the past and envision the future of multi-faith collaboration.
“Nostra Aetate” was promulgated on Oct. 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI, and was the Church’s intentional effort to bridge divisiveness, resulting in wide-reaching efforts at ecumenical dialogue.
Much of the event focused on the history of Catholic-Jewish relations and the groundbreaking document’s efforts to affirm the spiritual bond between Catholics and Jews and repudiate anti-Semitism.
Bishop Martin offered a reflection on the history of “Nostra Aetate” and the opportunities it offers for ongoing improvement in interfaith relations. On the anniversary, Catholics are called both to acknowledge the painful realities of Church mistreatment of Jewish people in the past and to feel joy in the renewed relationships the document fostered, he said.
The strength of the Catholic-Jewish connection is embodied in the Holy Family, a Jewish family that raised and nurtured Jesus, he said.
“My roots as a Catholic have to be grounded in that holy family and the thousands of years that came from Abraham on forward that allow me to stand here as a believer in the Roman Catholic Church,” he said. “’Nostra Aetate’ calls all Catholics to own our own pedigree rooted in Judaism.”
The bishop said the document offered the Church a true blessing in its encouragement of positive engagement and dialogue with other faiths, which has been a longstanding tradition in the Diocese of Charlotte.
“Nostra Aetate freed the Catholic world to find truth and goodness and wisdom and holiness in walking with Jewish brothers and sisters, with Muslims, members of Christian denominations, with Buddhists and Hindus,” Bishop Martin said.
Dr. Marc Zvi Brettler, the Bernice and Morton Lerner Distinguished Professor in Judaic Studies at Duke University, was the keynote speaker. The expert on Jewish Scripture and co-editor of the award-winning Jewish Study Bible explored the evolution in Catholic-Jewish relationships since “Nostra Aetate,” including positive developments and areas where improvements are needed.
The evening also featured a multifaith panel discussion focused on how to improve interfaith relations. Participants included representatives from the Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu communities; Dr. Adrian Bird, chaplain at Queens University and president of the Mecklenburg Metropolitan Interfaith Network; and Gianna Mars, president of the Catholic Campus Connection at the university.
As Pope Leo XIV noted in his Oct. 29 general audience, today, more than ever, all of the world's religions need to act together, "Our world needs our unity, our friendship and our collaboration."
— Christina Lee Knauss. Photos by Brian Segovia
