Michael A. Signer
Department of Theology
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
May 13, 2002

1. American Church: During the next six months there will be a focus on internal Church issues. Recent publicity about the priesthood will result in continuing discussions about the nature of the leadership in the Church. How much can non-ordained people, the laity, contribute to the formulation of policy? These issues are not simply a matter of re-organization, but require the resources of theologians and canon-lawyers. Look for these discussions behind the headlines of the June meeting of the US Bishops Conference. There are no immediate issues for Jewish-Catholic dialogue related to these internal problems. However, these issues will be the primary focus on the American bishops.

2. Vatican: The following issues will continue

• Cardinal Kasper's leadership: Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council on Christian Unity and also of the Commission on Interreligious Relations with the Jewish People will continue to work his way into a deeper understanding of the Jewish community. Kasper has had limited experience working with Jews. No surprise because almost his entire career has been in Germany. He is intellectually curious and very open. At the present time he is proposing a series of new "dialogue partners" who will transcend the traditional organizations that have constituted IJCIC. While he will continue to listen to IJCIC and its constituencies, he wants to hear from academic and rabbinic organizations. At present he is organizing a "dialogue" with the Chief Rabbi of Israel and some of his colleagues. This is only one example of his attempt to open new doors to dialogue and hear a variety of voices. The Reform movement should find some forum to invite Cardinal Kasper to speak. Alternatively, we can and should propose a trip to Rome for our leadership-perhaps as part of the National Council of Synagogues-- to speak with him.
• Vatican Archives Commission: The joint Commission of Jewish and Catholic Historians to investigate the activities of the Church during WW II has ceased its activity. Cardinal Kasper attempted to revive it during the Summer 2001, but no formulation has been discovered that would satisfy members of the former commission or IJCIC. Cardinal Kasper has stated publicly that he is in favor of opening the Vatican Archives as soon as possible. Jorge Mejia, Cardinal Librarian of the Vatican Library, has indicated that over the next two years the records of the pontificate of Pius XI will be available. He hopes that the years of Pius XII will be ready within a reasonable length of time. Both Jews and Christians delicately link the issue of the canonization of Pius XII to the opening of the archives. No one seems to know when the canonization will take place. However, Pope John Paul II seems to view Pius XII as an important link to the foundations of the modernization of the Catholic Church.
• Middle East: We should note that after some initial statements the Vatican has said very little about the Church of the Nativity or the entire conflict. Apparently there have been continuing conversations between the State Department of the Holy See and all parties, but the diplomacy has been very quiet. The Pope is on record with a demand for security for Israel and the rights of the Palestinians to live in their own state. For this reason, I believe, the Vatican has maintained a low profile during the current actions by the IDF. It seems that the Vatican has focused its sphere of interest on Church property and the welfare of its own people rather than on broad diplomatic issues. Nonetheless, our Commission should continue its contacts through NCS to monitor Middle East policy of both American bishops and the Vatican.
• The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible: This lengthy and technical document should provide some new material for discussion. Although it is primarily directed toward scholars, there are serious implications for Catholic-Jewish dialogue. It should encourage joint study of the Hebrew Bible by Jews and Christians and open the possibility for Jews to share their traditions of Midrash and commentaries. Congregations should be particularly encouraged to use the books by Mary Boys, Has God Only One Blessing, Phil Cunningham, The Story of Shalom, and Leighton, Catalano and Sandmel, Irreconcilable Differences? Each of these books offers the possibility for Jews and Catholics to discuss biblical studies within a non-threatening atmosphere.

3. Public Critiques of the Catholic Church: A number of books have been published during the past year that have been very critical of the Catholic Church and its leadership, particularly during WW II. Some have been unequivocally negative such as John Conway's Hitler's Pope or Garry Wills' Papal Deceit. Both of these authors have focused on the treatment of Jews as a way to criticize the papacy. However, one should view these books somewhat cautiously because their main agenda is to criticize the Church and not to promote Jewish-Catholic understanding. These books are generally received with some degree of defensiveness by many Catholics and, in the end; they do not promote the advancement of interreligious understanding. James Carroll's book, Constantine's Sword, describes the negative history Catholic treatment of Jews and Judaism. It retraces and updates the work by Fr. Edward Flannery, The Anguish of the Jews. However, Carroll's critique of the Church is mitigated by his serious neglect of the considerable advancements that have occurred.

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's lengthy article in The New Republic on the behavior of the Church will appear as a full-length book this fall. Goldhagen has raised some very good questions that are on the agenda of everyone who commented on the Vatican document. However, his critique of the Church is so unrelenting and so disrespectful that it will add little to the continuing discussions. The position of those Jews who are interested in advancing dialogue is very subtle with respect to Goldhagen's book. Neither Catholics nor Jews want to exonerate those who behaved in a negative manner. However, there are a variety of ways to approach the problem. Goldhagen's method here seems to be similar to what he accomplished in Hitler's Willing Executioners where his over-simplification serves to highlight the problem and offer only a demagogic solution.

There are many people who are eager to utilize the slow response of Catholics to the Shoah as an excuse to shut off the dialogue between our communities. In the fall, the discussion of Goldhagen's book will provide them with lots of material to try and accomplish their aims. As a religious community, I believe that our emphasis must be on the many positive steps toward Teshuvah that have been made by the US Catholic Bishops Conference. The next issue of International Catholic, a documentary service, will focus on Jewish-Catholic relations. Eugene Fisher and I have written introductions to the documentary collection.

4. Dabru Emet: This Jewish statement on Christians and Christianity has been signed by more than 200 hundred Rabbis and scholars. Every one of the leaders of our movement has signed it and endorsed its principles. At HUC Jerusalem there will be a conference on the Hebrew translation of Dabru Emet that was made by Dr. Yehoiada Amir, Director of our Israeli rabbinic program.

Catholic leaders from Cardinal Kasper to the American bishops continue to cite the document as an important step forward. Our congregations can use the document [available at www.icjs.org] as the basis for study groups. Recent criticisms of the document by Professor Jon Levenson and others in Commentary are based on the opinion that Christian-Jewish dialogue weakens the Jewish resolve to remain Jewish and encourages intermarriage. The authors of Dabru Emet never wanted everyone to agree with the contents of the document, but that it would guide intelligent discussion between Jews and those Christian denominations that have made far-reaching changes in their theological approach to Jews and Judaism. [Further information on Dabru Emet is available at www.jcrelations.net where my essay, "Reflections on Dabru Emet" can be found].