The relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people was discussed by Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris, in his April 23, 2002, address to the World Jewish Congress held in Brussels. Cardinal Lustiger was principally concerned with the question, “What can Jews and Christians hope for when they meet?” The Cardinal's observations were optimistic, drawing on his hopes for an enriched and growing friendship between the two faiths in the coming years. Christians must regard their Jewish brothers and sisters as “bearers of the sacred features of the History of Salvation,” he said. This will entail a new and more open approach to the Scriptures that Jews and Christians hold in common, as well as an increasing attentiveness to the intertwined religious and political history of the Jewish people. Similarly, Cardinal Lustiger hopes for a readiness on the part of Judaism to recognize and welcome the diversity of faiths and cultures outside its boundaries—especially its unique relationship with Christianity. It is necessary, Cardinal Lustiger said, “to carry on the patient labor of mutual recognition, so as to grasp how Jews and Catholics truly see each other. We have to come to terms with the legacy that both unites and divides us.” The Cardinal sees the road of dialogue ahead as a difficult one that will ultimately overcome the “aggressive defensiveness inherited from centuries of persecutions and contempt.” He believes that God's spirit is at work in history, helping each faith to understand its destiny better. As such, Jews and Christians can approach each other in mutual trust and work together to strengthen the bonds of friendship, by promoting similar ethical beliefs and democratic ideals, and “not merely to teaming up for tactical purposes,” he said. [Cardinal Lustiger was the 1998 Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding's Nostra Aetate Award recipient with Rabbi Rene-Samuel Sirat, Chief Rabbi of France. For more on his 1998 Lecture, “Jews and Christians, Tomorrow,” visit the Center's website at www.ccju.org and look under Programs.]

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