2000 goal: Reconciliation

Church leaders expect interfaith reconciliation among members of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faith traditions going into the third millennium.

Differences in doctrine and opinion exist among these faiths, but in recent years Catholics have become reconciled with other Abrahamic faiths. The outlook for further dialogue also is promising, according to John Borelli, associate director for the Secretariat of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB).

"When people get to know each other, we find that we have many similarities, and we are working at mutual understanding and respect," he said. "I think we'll get to know each other more and more and try to understand one another's perspectives on religious, as well as social, political and historical issues."

One example of increased reconciliation between Catholicism and Judaism is the radical change in perspectives of Judaism found in Catholic textbooks, according to Eugene Fisher, associate director for the Secretariat of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the NCCB. Once, such materials contained misleading or biased information about what the Jewishness of Jesus means in understanding His teaching.

"We had imbedded in our teaching on so many different levels and in so many different ways negative statements about Jews and Judaism that had to be cleared up," Dr. Fisher said.

Rabbi James Rudin, interreligious affairs director of the American-Jewish Committee, doesn't underestimate the importance of the Second Vatican Council or the leadership of Pope John Paul II in helping to foster dialogue between Catholics and Jews.

"There've been more positive Catholic-Jewish relations and programs since 1965 than there were in the first 1,900 years of the Church," he said. "This is one of the few success stories of the 20th century in terms of reconciliation."

Dr. Borelli agreed that Vatican II marked a turning point in the approach of Church leaders toward reconciliation with the other Abrahamic faiths.

"Since the Second Vatican Council, Catholics have been very conscientious about reaching out, establishing relationships with other churches and other religious groups, and have sought to overcome the past and the difficulties of the past," he said.

Relations between Catholics and Muslims, in particular, have improved dramatically in the United States during the past 35 years, Dr. Borelli remarked. As a sign of reconciliation, the Vatican sends greetings to Muslims worldwide at the conclusion of Ramadan; there also are several initiatives with Muslim groups, and Church leaders have a good working relationship with the American Muslim Council. (PQ)