Catholicism and Antisemitism
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Catholicism and Antisemitism
The relationship between Catholicism and antisemitism encompasses a long and difficult history of theological conflict, religious discrimination, forced conversion, political exclusion, conspiracy theories and violence, as well as significant efforts at repentance, reform and reconciliation. Christian anti-Judaism developed in the early centuries of Christianity as the emerging Church sought to define itself in relation to Judaism. Hostile interpretations of scripture, accusations that Jews were collectively responsible for the death of Jesus and claims that the Church had replaced the Jewish people in God's covenant contributed to negative portrayals of Jews in Catholic teaching and culture.
These religious ideas were not identical to the racial antisemitism that emerged in modern Europe. Nevertheless, longstanding Christian prejudices helped create a social environment in which political and racial antisemitism could spread. Catholic institutions, clergy and laypeople responded in different ways across time and place. Some supported or tolerated discriminatory policies, while others defended Jewish communities, opposed racist ideologies and helped rescue Jews from persecution.
The Second Vatican Council's 1965 declaration Nostra Aetate marked a decisive transformation in official Catholic teaching. It rejected collective Jewish guilt for the crucifixion, condemned antisemitism and affirmed Christianity's enduring spiritual relationship with Judaism. Subsequent popes, bishops, theologians and Catholic organizations have expanded this commitment through education, interfaith dialogue, Holocaust remembrance and public opposition to anti-Jewish hatred.
Historical Origins of Christian Anti-Judaism
Christianity emerged from Judaism, and Jesus, his earliest disciples and the authors of much of the New Testament were Jewish. As Christianity developed into a separate religious community, disputes between Christians and Jews were increasingly interpreted as a struggle between competing religious traditions.
Some Christian theologians portrayed Judaism as spiritually obsolete and argued that the Church had replaced Israel as the people of God's covenant. This doctrine is commonly described as supersessionism or replacement theology. Biblical passages written amid conflicts in the ancient world were later removed from their historical contexts and used to characterize Jews collectively as blind, faithless or hostile to God.
The accusation of deicide—the claim that the Jewish people collectively killed God by causing the crucifixion of Jesus—became one of the most destructive elements of Christian anti-Judaism. It assigned permanent guilt to Jews across generations and was repeatedly invoked to justify discrimination and violence. Modern Catholic teaching rejects this accusation and emphasizes that the death of Jesus cannot be blamed on all Jews living at the time, much less on Jewish people throughout history.
Medieval Persecution and Institutional Exclusion
In medieval Christian Europe, Jews frequently lived under laws established by Catholic rulers and institutions that treated them as a tolerated but subordinate minority. Church authorities sometimes protected Jewish communities from mob violence or forced baptism, but Catholic theology, canon law and preaching also contributed to their segregation and marginalization.
Jewish people were subjected to residential restrictions, distinctive clothing requirements, occupational limitations, special taxes and exclusion from public offices. Hostility intensified during periods of war, famine, disease and political instability. Jews were falsely accused of ritual murder, desecrating the Eucharist, poisoning wells and conspiring against Christian society.
Passion preaching and dramatizations sometimes depicted Jewish figures as collectively cruel or demonic. These portrayals reinforced the deicide accusation and could contribute to violence during Holy Week. Catholic guidelines issued in the modern era instruct preachers, teachers and producers of Passion plays to avoid stereotypes, collective blame and interpretations that denigrate Judaism.
The medieval and early-modern Church also supported campaigns intended to convert Jews. In Spain and Portugal, many Jews were compelled to accept baptism or leave the country. The Spanish Inquisition investigated converted Jews, commonly called conversos, who were suspected of secretly practicing Judaism. These investigations combined religious conformity, political centralization and ideas about inherited ancestry that anticipated some features of later racial exclusion.
Nationalism, Fascism, and Modern Antisemitism
During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, older religious hostility toward Jews became intertwined with nationalism, racial ideology, anti-liberalism and conspiracy theories. Jews were portrayed by different movements as secret agents of capitalism, communism, secularism, revolution or foreign influence. These contradictory accusations presented Jewish communities as permanent outsiders regardless of their beliefs, citizenship or conduct.
Catholic newspapers, political organizations and individual clergy sometimes circulated antisemitic arguments. Certain Catholic nationalists portrayed the nation as an exclusively Christian community and treated Jews as incapable of complete national loyalty. Figures such as the American priest and radio broadcaster Charles Coughlin spread conspiracy theories and pro-fascist propaganda to mass audiences.
In Fascist Italy, sections of the Catholic press supported or accommodated anti-Jewish legislation even when Catholic writers distinguished their religious arguments from Nazi biological racism. In Germany and other European countries, fear of Bolshevism led some Catholic leaders to overlook or tolerate antisemitic elements within authoritarian and fascist movements.
Catholic responses were never uniform. Some theologians, clergy, converts and lay activists challenged racial antisemitism and defended Jewish dignity. Catholic intellectuals such as Jacques Maritain moved away from earlier prejudices and became prominent opponents of fascism and advocates for the Jewish people. Other Catholics sheltered Jews, protested persecution or resisted collaboration, although institutional opposition was frequently inconsistent, cautious or delayed.
The Holocaust and Catholic Responsibility
The Holocaust forced Catholic institutions to confront the relationship between centuries of Christian anti-Judaism and the Nazi genocide of European Jews. Nazi antisemitism was rooted in racial nationalism rather than traditional Catholic doctrine, but inherited Christian stereotypes had helped normalize the social exclusion of Jews and weakened resistance to persecution.
Historical debate has focused heavily on the conduct of Pope Pius XII, national bishops' conferences, religious orders, clergy and Catholic populations during the Nazi era. Scholars continue to examine institutional silence, diplomatic caution, assistance to persecuted Jews, resistance by individual Catholics and cases of cooperation with antisemitic governments.
The opening of Vatican archives has expanded research into what Catholic leaders knew, how they responded and what political or theological considerations influenced their decisions. Interpretations remain contested, particularly regarding whether papal diplomacy protected lives or failed to provide the clear public condemnation demanded by the scale of the genocide.
Postwar Catholic documents have acknowledged that Christians committed acts of hostility, indifference and persecution against Jews. The Vatican reflection We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah condemned the Holocaust and called Catholics to repent for the failures of Christians who did not adequately defend persecuted Jews. Catholic educational guidelines now encourage the study of both modern racial antisemitism and the longer history of Christian anti-Judaism.
Nostra Aetate and Doctrinal Reform
The Second Vatican Council adopted Nostra Aetate on October 28, 1965. The declaration transformed official Catholic teaching about Judaism by rejecting the idea that Jews as a people were collectively responsible for the death of Jesus. It stated that Jews must not be presented as rejected or cursed by God and condemned hatred, persecution and antisemitism directed against Jews.
The declaration emerged from sustained work by Catholic reformers, Jewish scholars, converts from Judaism and interfaith advocates. Jules Isaac, a French Jewish historian whose family suffered during the Holocaust, helped Catholic leaders understand how the “teaching of contempt” had contributed to anti-Jewish prejudice. Cardinal Augustin Bea became a central Catholic advocate for a conciliar declaration on the Church's relationship with the Jewish people.
Later Vatican documents developed the declaration's implications. Catholic teaching increasingly affirmed that God's covenant with the Jewish people had not been revoked. The Vatican rejected organized institutional efforts specifically directed toward converting Jews and encouraged Catholics to understand Judaism as a living religious tradition rather than merely as a precursor to Christianity.
The reform did not immediately erase attitudes formed over many centuries. Scholars and Jewish observers continue to debate whether supersessionist assumptions remain present in Catholic theology, liturgy and popular religious culture. The implementation of Nostra Aetate therefore requires continuing examination of preaching, scripture interpretation, education and Catholic descriptions of Jewish identity.
Papal Leadership and Catholic-Jewish Dialogue
Successive popes have made Catholic-Jewish reconciliation a visible part of modern papal leadership. Pope John Paul II condemned antisemitism, referred to Jews as Christianity's beloved elder brothers and became the first pope in modern history to visit Rome's synagogue. His pilgrimage to Israel included visits to Yad Vashem and the Western Wall, where he expressed sorrow for Christian wrongdoing against Jews.
Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the Church's commitment to Nostra Aetate during meetings with Jewish organizations and visits to synagogues in Cologne, New York and Rome. He stressed the Jewish roots of Christianity, the importance of Holocaust remembrance and the need to oppose new forms of antisemitism.
Pope Francis repeatedly described antisemitism as incompatible with Christianity. He encouraged Catholic schools, families, parishes and lay organizations to educate people about Jewish history and to develop sustained relationships with Jewish communities. His meetings with rabbis, Jewish organizations and Holocaust remembrance groups emphasized friendship, shared moral responsibility and opposition to racism.
Pope Leo XIV has continued to present Nostra Aetate as a decisive rejection of antisemitism and a foundation for Catholic-Jewish cooperation. Modern papal statements emphasize that dialogue must extend beyond diplomacy and ceremonial encounters to include education, theological reflection, local relationships and joint action against hatred.
Theology, Scripture, Liturgy, and Education
Catholic reform has required reconsideration of how scripture is interpreted and proclaimed. The New Testament contains passages shaped by disputes among Jewish groups and conflicts between early Christian communities and other religious authorities. When these texts are presented without historical context, they can appear to condemn Jewish people collectively.
Catholic biblical scholarship now emphasizes the Jewish identity of Jesus, the apostles and the earliest Christian communities. The Hebrew Scriptures are recognized as possessing permanent religious value, and Jewish interpretations of scripture are treated as part of a continuing covenantal tradition rather than as evidence of spiritual failure.
Catholic bishops have issued guidelines directing homilists, teachers and creators of Passion dramatizations to avoid collective blame. Educational materials address antisemitic tropes such as blood libel, deicide, claims of secret Jewish control and accusations of divided loyalty. These resources also explain how apparently religious or political language can reproduce older forms of anti-Jewish prejudice.
Education is especially important because antisemitism changes its language over time. It may appear through religious stereotypes, racial nationalism, Holocaust denial, conspiracy theories or the attribution of collective responsibility to Jews for the actions of governments and political organizations.
Contemporary Challenges
Contemporary Catholic opposition to antisemitism operates within debates about Israel, Palestine, nationalism, religious freedom and political polarization. Catholic teaching permits criticism of any government's policies, including those of Israel. Such criticism becomes antisemitic when it relies on anti-Jewish stereotypes, denies Jewish people equal human or national rights, attributes collective guilt to Jews or treats Jewish communities worldwide as responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.
Catholic leaders have also warned against using concern for antisemitism to silence legitimate discussion of Palestinian rights, civilian suffering or government conduct. A responsible Catholic approach distinguishes between criticism of political decisions and hostility toward Jews as a religious, ethnic or cultural people.
Traditional forms of Catholic anti-Judaism have not completely disappeared. The deicide accusation, supersessionist claims, conspiracy theories and distorted Passion narratives continue to circulate in some extremist and traditionalist networks. Digital media can give old prejudices new audiences and allow antisemitic material to spread rapidly without historical or theological context.
The Church's official condemnation of antisemitism therefore requires practical implementation. This includes responsible preaching, accurate religious education, protection of Jewish communities, rejection of conspiracy theories, Holocaust remembrance and sustained relationships between Catholics and Jews.
Conclusion
The history of Catholicism and antisemitism includes both institutional wrongdoing and profound religious reform. Christian anti-Judaism contributed to centuries of exclusion, forced conversion, humiliation and violence. In the modern period, inherited religious prejudices sometimes merged with nationalism, fascism and racial antisemitism, while many Catholic authorities failed to respond adequately to the persecution of Jews.
At the same time, Catholic thinkers, clergy and laypeople also opposed antisemitism, defended Jewish communities and helped transform the Church's teachings. Nostra Aetate established a new foundation by rejecting collective Jewish guilt, condemning antisemitism and affirming Christianity's enduring relationship with Judaism.
The reforms of the Second Vatican Council were a decisive turning point rather than the conclusion of the process. Catholic-Jewish reconciliation remains dependent on historical honesty, careful theology, responsible interpretation of scripture, education about the Holocaust and active opposition to contemporary hatred. The credibility of Catholic teaching is ultimately measured not only by official declarations but also by how Catholics recognize, challenge and prevent antisemitism in religious and public life.
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Contemporary Catholic Responses and Current Debates
Benedictine College Denounces Antisemitic Flyers After Catholic-Jewish Relations Conference
| Gina Christian | National Catholic Reporter | May 18, 2026
A Catholic college condemns antisemitic material circulated after a conference on Nostra Aetate, while students and administrators reaffirm the Church’s teaching on Jewish dignity and interreligious dialogue.
Catholic Leaders Warn Against Antisemitism in Holy Week Liturgies
| Gina Christian | OSV News and National Catholic Reporter | April 2, 2026
Catholic bishops and scholars warn that Holy Week preaching must not revive the repudiated accusation that Jews collectively caused the death of Jesus.
Amid the U.S.-Israel War With Iran, Catholics Must Fight Antisemitism at Home
| NCR Editorial Staff | National Catholic Reporter | March 24, 2026
This editorial argues that Catholics must distinguish legitimate criticism of Israeli policy from conspiracy theories and collective accusations directed against Jews.
Catholic Member of Religious Liberty Commission Sparks Debate Over Antisemitism
| Kate Scanlon | OSV News and America | February 10, 2026
A contentious government hearing raises questions about antisemitic rhetoric, Catholic teaching on Judaism and the distinction between criticism of Israel and hostility toward Jews.
The Church Does Not Tolerate Antisemitism and Fights Against It
| Pope Leo XIV | The Holy See | October 29, 2025
Pope Leo XIV reaffirms the Catholic Church’s rejection of antisemitism and presents interreligious friendship as a responsibility grounded in the Gospel.
Pope Leo Condemns Antisemitism and Vows to Fight It
| Associated Press | National Catholic Reporter | October 29, 2025
Pope Leo XIV reaffirms that the Catholic Church rejects antisemitism and warns that political conflict must not destroy the friendship developed between Catholics and Jews.
MAGA Antisemitism Comes for the Catholic Church
| Ethan Schwartz | Commonweal | June 8, 2025
The author compares conspiracy theories aimed at transnational Catholicism with older accusations that Jews possess divided loyalties and secretly undermine national sovereignty.
Francis, Liberal Catholicism and Antisemitism
| Massimo Faggioli | Commonweal | January 21, 2025
The article examines tensions between Jewish communities, Pope Francis and liberal Catholic commentators over papal language, Israel, Gaza and the historical burden of Catholic antisemitism.
Pope Reaffirms Christians’ Special Relationship With Jews
| Associated Press | National Catholic Reporter | February 5, 2024
Pope Francis assures Israeli Jews of his closeness amid war and rising antisemitism while emphasizing the unique spiritual relationship between Christians and Jews.
Letter to Jewish Brothers and Sisters in Israel
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | February 2, 2024
Pope Francis condemns anti-Judaism and antisemitism as sins against God while expressing concern about the worldwide increase in attacks against Jews following the October 2023 violence.
The Friendship Between Catholics and Jews Goes Deeper Than Diplomacy
| Guy Alaluf | America | November 29, 2023
An Orthodox Jewish scholar argues that the personal and theological friendships developed between Jews and Catholics should not be reduced to disagreements over Israeli or Vatican diplomacy.
Pope Says Antisemitism Shows the Need for Christian-Jewish Understanding
| Catholic News Service | National Catholic Reporter | December 12, 2022
Pope Francis praises the work of Jules Isaac and the Seelisberg Conference and warns that renewed antisemitism makes Catholic-Jewish dialogue especially urgent.
Why Cardinal Gregory Became an Advocate for Catholic-Jewish Dialogue
| Michael J. O’Loughlin | America | December 12, 2022
Cardinal Wilton Gregory discusses the importance of teaching Catholics about the historical causes of antisemitism and involving younger Catholics in Jewish-Christian dialogue.
Cardinal Gregory Says Catholics Should Be Outraged by Antisemitism
| America Staff | America | December 9, 2022
Catholic and Jewish leaders discuss the resurgence of antisemitic rhetoric and emphasize that opposition to antisemitism is an obligation of Catholic faith rather than an optional political position.
U.S. Bishops Recommit to Their Relationship With the Jewish Community
The bishops condemn antisemitic violence and rhetoric and remind Catholics that Christianity remains spiritually rooted in the Jewish people and tradition.
Never Again Rings Hollow Amid Today’s Antisemitism
| Michael Sean Winters | National Catholic Reporter | January 29, 2020
The article argues that Holocaust remembrance must be connected to active Catholic opposition to present-day antisemitic prejudice, violence and conspiracy theories.
Catholics Have a Moral Duty to Fight Antisemitism
| The Editors | America | October 29, 2018
Written after the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, this editorial connects Catholic opposition to antisemitism with Nostra Aetate and the shared spiritual heritage of Christians and Jews.
Nostra Aetate and Catholic-Jewish Reconciliation
Catholic-Jewish Relations in the Pope Leo Era
| Noam Marans | American Jewish Committee | May 9, 2026
A Jewish interfaith leader evaluates Pope Leo XIV’s early statements on Judaism and argues that Catholic opposition to antisemitism must remain central to the post-Nostra Aetate relationship.
Vatican II, Nostra Aetate and Interreligious Dialogue
| Hal St John | America | January 12, 2026
The article places the rejection of antisemitism within Vatican II’s broader transformation of Catholic attitudes toward Judaism and other religions.
Sixty Years After Nostra Aetate, Catholic-Jewish Understanding Matters
| Brian Siegal and Rafael Capó | American Jewish Committee | November 3, 2025
Jewish and Catholic leaders describe Nostra Aetate as a moral reckoning with Christian hostility toward Jews and call for stronger local interfaith relationships.
What Is Nostra Aetate?
| NCR Staff | National Catholic Reporter | October 28, 2025
This explainer describes how Nostra Aetate rejected collective Jewish responsibility for Jesus’s death and transformed the Catholic Church’s relationship with Judaism.
Commemoration of the Declaration Nostra Aetate
| Pope Leo XIV | The Holy See | October 28, 2025
The pope marks the declaration’s sixtieth anniversary and emphasizes its recognition of Christianity’s Jewish roots and its rejection of every form of antisemitism.
Nostra Aetate Should Matter to Jews More Than Ever
| American Jewish Committee | AJC | October 28, 2025
A Jewish perspective assesses the declaration’s historic rejection of the deicide charge while noting that centuries of hostile Christian teaching could not be erased by one document.
Sixty Years On, Nostra Aetate Keeps Informing Catholic-Jewish Relations
| American Jewish Committee | AJC | October 28, 2025
A Jewish assessment reviews the progress made since the Church rejected collective Jewish guilt while also examining recent tensions involving the Vatican and Israel.
An Ongoing Reckoning With Antisemitism: 60 Years Since Nostra Aetate
| James T. Keane | America | October 21, 2025
A review of recent scholarship considers Catholicism’s continuing struggle to understand its historical involvement in anti-Jewish prejudice and persecution.
Pope Leo XIV Can Build Upon 60 Years of Catholic-Jewish Friendship
| Yehiel E. Poupko and Joshua Stanton | National Catholic Reporter | August 14, 2025
The authors trace the influence of Jules Isaac and Nostra Aetate while urging further rejection of supersessionism and the idea that Jewish suffering represented divine punishment.
Pope Leo XIV Pledges to Strengthen Catholic-Jewish Dialogue
| Gerard O’Connell | America | May 13, 2025
Pope Leo XIV promises Jewish representatives that the Church will continue the dialogue inspired by Nostra Aetate and its condemnation of antisemitism.
Four Things to Know About Pope Leo XIV and Catholic-Jewish Relations
| American Jewish Committee | AJC | May 12, 2025
This overview considers the new pope’s background, his initial outreach to Jewish leaders and expectations that he will preserve the Church’s opposition to antisemitism.
AJC Celebrates Sixty Years Since Nostra Aetate
| American Jewish Committee | AJC | April 29, 2025
AJC recounts its participation in the development and implementation of Nostra Aetate and its continuing work with Catholic organizations against antisemitism.
In Our Time: AJC and Nostra Aetate
| American Jewish Committee | AJC | September 2021
This illustrated history documents Jewish efforts to persuade Catholic leaders to reject the deicide accusation, anti-Jewish teaching and religious discrimination.
Jewish Leaders See Providence in Christianity, Too
| Drew Christiansen | America | May 20, 2021
A review examines the cautious movement of Orthodox Jewish leaders toward theological engagement with Christianity following the Catholic reforms of Nostra Aetate.
Cardinal Agostino Bea and Catholic-Jewish Dialogue
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | February 28, 2019
Pope Francis honors Cardinal Bea’s role in overcoming Christian hostility toward Judaism and developing the Catholic Church’s new approach to Jewish relations.
Retired Pope Benedict Accused of Antisemitism After Essay on Christians and Jews
| Tom Heneghan | Religion News Service and National Catholic Reporter | August 6, 2018
Jewish and Catholic scholars debate whether Benedict XVI’s account of supersessionism and Christian interpretations of Jewish scripture undermined post-conciliar reforms.
Joint Statement of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Holy See
Jewish and Catholic representatives welcome theological recognition of the integrity of Jewish faith and clarify that Catholic dialogue is not intended as a campaign to convert Jews.
New Vatican Document Reflects on Relations Between Catholics and Jews
| Catholic News Service | National Catholic Reporter | December 10, 2015
The article explains the Vatican document The Gifts and the Calling of God Are Irrevocable, including its rejection of antisemitism, supersessionism and organized efforts to convert Jews.
New Vatican Statement on Catholic-Jewish Relations
| Michael Peppard | Commonweal | December 10, 2015
The author analyzes The Gifts and the Calling of God Are Irrevocable, including its treatment of covenant, supersessionism, evangelization and Jewish-Christian complementarity.
The Gifts and the Calling of God Are Irrevocable
| Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews | The Holy See | December 10, 2015
This Vatican reflection states that God’s covenant with the Jewish people remains valid, rejects institutional missionary activity directed at Jews and condemns antisemitism.
An Important Anniversary: Nostra Aetate Fifty Years Later
| American Jewish Committee | AJC | October 26, 2015
AJC reflects on the declaration’s rejection of collective Jewish guilt and its influence on five decades of Catholic-Jewish dialogue.
The Story Behind Nostra Aetate
| John Connelly | Commonweal | March 30, 2015
This history follows Catholic converts from Judaism, Jewish scholars and Church officials whose opposition to racial antisemitism helped make Nostra Aetate possible.
Not Conversion, but Communion
| Donald Senior | Commonweal | February 10, 2014
This contribution to a theological exchange considers supersessionism, Catholic evangelization and whether Christianity can recognize Judaism as a living covenantal tradition.
Vatican II: Catholic Doctrines on Jews and Muslims
| Gavin D’Costa | Oxford University Press | 2014
The book analyzes the doctrinal authority and continuing interpretation of Vatican II’s teachings about Judaism, the Jewish covenant and Catholic relations with non-Christian religions.
Vatican-SSPX Talks Do Not Signal Toleration of Anti-Judaism
| Cindy Wooden | Catholic News Service and National Catholic Reporter | November 8, 2012
Cardinal Kurt Koch states that dialogue with traditionalist Catholics cannot involve abandoning Nostra Aetate or accepting anti-Jewish ideas associated with some traditionalist groups.
From Enemy to Brother
| Michael Sean Winters | National Catholic Reporter | July 6, 2012
A discussion of John Connelly’s scholarship examines the complex path by which Catholic thinkers moved from anti-Judaism and racial theories toward religious tolerance and Nostra Aetate.
The Beginning of the Beginning
| Commonweal | Commonweal | January 14, 2008
This account of the drafting of Nostra Aetate describes resistance within the Church, including antisemitic attacks directed against Cardinal Augustin Bea and supporters of reform.
What Next?
| Rabbi Leon Klenicki | America | October 24, 2005
Rabbi Klenicki reviews forty years of Catholic-Jewish progress after Nostra Aetate and calls for deeper theological dialogue without conversionary pressure.
A Jewish-Catholic Friendship
| A. James Rudin | America | 2005
The author remembers Catholic leaders who turned the principles of Nostra Aetate into personal relationships, educational reform and active opposition to antisemitism.
Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of Nostra Aetate
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | December 6, 1990
John Paul II describes the Jewish people and their continuing religious tradition as an intimate part of the Christian mystery of revelation and salvation.
John Paul II Addresses the International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | October 28, 1985
John Paul II urges Catholic institutions to eliminate negative portrayals of Judaism and deepen theological reflection on the Holocaust and Jewish suffering.
John Paul II Addresses the Nostra Aetate Colloquium
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | April 19, 1985
The pope encourages Catholics to rediscover Christianity’s Jewish roots and to recognize Judaism through Jewish religious experience rather than inherited Christian stereotypes.
Nostra Aetate
| Second Vatican Council and Pope Paul VI | The Holy See | October 28, 1965
This landmark declaration rejects collective Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus, states that Jews must not be portrayed as rejected or cursed by God and condemns antisemitism directed against Jews by anyone.
Papal Addresses, Synagogue Visits, and Official Interfaith Encounters
Pope Leo XIV Addresses the United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York
| Pope Leo XIV | The Holy See | June 15, 2026
Pope Leo XIV describes Nostra Aetate as a decisive rejection of antisemitism and calls Catholics and Jews to overcome historical misunderstandings through dialogue and cooperation.
Pope Francis Addresses the Conference of European Rabbis
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | November 6, 2023
Pope Francis condemns antisemitic demonstrations and describes Catholic-Jewish dialogue as a family relationship rooted in the Jewish identity of Jesus and the origins of Christianity.
Pope Francis Addresses Amitié Judéo-Chrétienne de France
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | December 12, 2022
The pope praises an organization inspired by Jules Isaac while warning that antisemitism is reappearing in Europe and that Catholic-Jewish friendship requires continual renewal.
Pope Francis Addresses the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | June 30, 2022
Pope Francis calls on Catholic families, schools, parishes and lay associations to prevent antisemitism through education and sustained encounters with Jewish communities.
Pope Francis Addresses B’nai B’rith International
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | May 30, 2022
The pope connects remembrance of the Holocaust with a shared Jewish-Christian responsibility to oppose nationalism, indifference, extremism and contempt for human dignity.
Pope Francis Addresses the Simon Wiesenthal Center
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | January 20, 2020
Pope Francis condemns antisemitism, racism and hatred of minorities and calls Jews and Christians to use their shared spiritual heritage in defense of human dignity.
Twenty-Five Years of Diplomatic Relations Between Israel and the Holy See
| Cardinal Pietro Parolin | Holy See Press Office | June 14, 2019
Cardinal Parolin reviews the transformation of Catholic-Jewish relations and identifies opposition to antisemitism as a continuing responsibility shared by Israel and the Holy See.
Pope Francis Addresses the American Jewish Committee
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | March 8, 2019
Pope Francis calls antisemitism a contradiction of Christianity and warns that even seemingly minor expressions of anti-Jewish hatred can produce catastrophic consequences.
Pope Francis Addresses the World Congress of Mountain Jews
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | November 5, 2018
Pope Francis reflects on the Holocaust, Kristallnacht and the destruction of the Vilnius ghetto while insisting that historical memory is necessary to prevent renewed hatred.
Pope Francis on Responsibility in the Fight Against Antisemitism
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | January 29, 2018
Pope Francis stresses the importance of preserving Holocaust memory and educating younger generations about the consequences of antisemitic hatred.
Pope Francis Addresses the Anti-Defamation League
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | February 9, 2017
Pope Francis denounces antisemitism as contrary to Christian principles and calls for education, cooperation and protection of human dignity.
Pope Francis Visits the Synagogue of Rome
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | January 17, 2016
Pope Francis commemorates Jewish persecution and the Holocaust while affirming that Christianity’s Jewish roots create a unique obligation for dialogue and solidarity.
Pope Francis Addresses the Conference of European Rabbis
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | April 20, 2015
The pope states that every Christian must firmly oppose antisemitism and show solidarity with Jewish communities facing hostility and violence.
Pope Francis Addresses the Simon Wiesenthal Center
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | October 24, 2013
Pope Francis condemns antisemitism, racism and religious persecution while emphasizing the importance of Holocaust remembrance and education.
Message on the Anniversary of the Deportation of the Jews of Rome
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | October 11, 2013
Pope Francis commemorates the Nazi deportation of Rome’s Jews and emphasizes that Holocaust memory must inspire opposition to contemporary intolerance and persecution.
Pope Francis Addresses the Jewish Community of Rome
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | October 11, 2013
The pope declares that antisemitism contradicts Christianity because Christians possess Jewish spiritual roots and cannot separate themselves from the history of Israel.
Pope Francis Addresses the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations
| Pope Francis | The Holy See | June 24, 2013
Pope Francis describes Nostra Aetate as the essential foundation for Catholic-Jewish relations and states that a true Christian cannot be an antisemite.
Benedict XVI Meets the Jewish Community in Berlin
| Pope Benedict XVI | The Holy See | September 22, 2011
Benedict XVI discusses Germany’s Holocaust history and presents Nostra Aetate as an irrevocable Catholic commitment to dialogue, friendship and reconciliation with Jews.
Pope Benedict XVI Visits the Jewish Community of Rome
| Pope Benedict XVI | The Holy See | January 17, 2010
Benedict XVI acknowledges the failings of Catholics who contributed to anti-Judaism and antisemitism and repeats John Paul II’s prayer for forgiveness and reconciliation.
Benedict XVI Addresses Major American Jewish Organizations
| Pope Benedict XVI | The Holy See | February 12, 2009
The pope acknowledges the painful phases of Catholic-Jewish history and identifies Nostra Aetate as the foundation for reconciliation and resistance to antisemitism.
Benedict XVI Meets Representatives of the Jewish Community in Paris
| Pope Benedict XVI | The Holy See | September 12, 2008
Benedict XVI honors the contributions of French Jews and emphasizes that Jewish-Christian dialogue must be grounded in scripture, mutual respect and remembrance.
Benedict XVI Receives the Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See
| Pope Benedict XVI | The Holy See | May 12, 2008
The pope discusses Catholic-Jewish friendship, religious freedom and the responsibilities of the Holy See and Israel in promoting peace and protecting religious communities.
Benedict XVI Visits Park East Synagogue
| Pope Benedict XVI | The Holy See | April 18, 2008
During the first papal visit to a synagogue in the United States, Benedict XVI encourages Jews and Catholics to strengthen friendship across religious and ethnic divisions.
Benedict XVI Meets Representatives of the Jewish Community in Washington
| Pope Benedict XVI | The Holy See | April 17, 2008
Benedict XVI reaffirms the Church’s rejection of antisemitism and praises American Catholic-Jewish efforts to promote education, dialogue and social cooperation.
Message to the Jewish Community on the Feast of Pesah
| Pope Benedict XVI | The Holy See | April 14, 2008
The pope connects the Christian celebration of Easter with the Jewish Passover while reaffirming the transformation in Catholic-Jewish relations since Vatican II.
Benedict XVI Addresses the Anti-Defamation League
| Pope Benedict XVI | The Holy See | October 12, 2006
Benedict XVI states that Christianity’s Jewish roots require Catholics to overcome past conflicts and reject hatred, persecution and antisemitism from every source.
Pope Benedict XVI Visits the Synagogue of Cologne
| Pope Benedict XVI | The Holy See | August 19, 2005
The pope reiterates the Church’s condemnation of antisemitism and warns that new manifestations of anti-Jewish hostility require vigilance, education and interreligious friendship.
Benedict XVI Addresses the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations
| Pope Benedict XVI | The Holy See | June 9, 2005
The pope marks forty years since Nostra Aetate and renews the Church’s commitment to mutual understanding, esteem and opposition to antisemitism.
John Paul II’s Message to the Chief Rabbi of Rome
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | May 22, 2004
John Paul II expresses sorrow for Catholic responsibility in anti-Judaism and antisemitism and describes Jews as the continuing people of God’s covenant.
John Paul II Meets the Chief Rabbis of Israel
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | March 23, 2000
John Paul II calls for a future without Christian anti-Judaism or Jewish hostility toward Christianity and describes Jewish heritage as intrinsic to Christian faith.
John Paul II Visits Yad Vashem
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | March 23, 2000
At Israel’s Holocaust memorial, the pope expresses sorrow for antisemitism committed by Christians and calls for a future of mutual respect, remembrance and reconciliation.
Jewish-Catholic Consultation Hails Papal Pilgrimage to Israel
| Jewish-Catholic Consultation | United States Conference of Catholic Bishops | March 14, 2000
Jewish and Catholic representatives welcome John Paul II’s visits to Yad Vashem and the Western Wall as affirmations of the continuing Jewish covenant and shared opposition to antisemitism.
John Paul II and Antisemitism: A Personal Experience
| Jubilee 2000 Editorial Staff | The Holy See | November 1, 1997
This reflection considers John Paul II’s personal encounters with Jews and reviews earlier papal statements opposing pogroms, ritual-murder accusations and antisemitism.
You Are Our Elder Brothers
| Jubilee 2000 Editorial Staff | The Holy See | November 1, 1997
The article reflects on John Paul II’s description of Jews as Christianity’s elder brothers and his condemnation of antisemitism and the Nazi genocide.
John Paul II Addresses Organizers of the Vatican Holocaust Concert
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | April 7, 1994
John Paul II condemns the genocide of European Jews and presents Holocaust commemoration as a shared moral responsibility for Catholics and Jews.
Fundamental Agreement Between the Holy See and the State of Israel
| The Holy See and the State of Israel | The Holy See | December 30, 1993
The agreement establishing formal relations includes an explicit condemnation of antisemitic hatred, persecution and attacks on Jewish people, synagogues and cemeteries.
John Paul II Addresses the Jewish Community in Budapest
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | August 18, 1991
The pope calls Jews and Catholics to cooperate in religious education, human rights and the struggle against antisemitism following the destruction of Hungarian Jewry.
John Paul II Addresses Representatives of Jewish Organizations
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | September 11, 1987
The pope urges Catholic dioceses to implement Church teaching about Jews accurately and presents the Holocaust as a warning against hatred, racism and oppressive political systems.
John Paul II Visits the Synagogue of Rome
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | April 13, 1986
In the first papal visit to Rome’s synagogue, John Paul II calls Jews Christianity’s beloved elder brothers and acknowledges the Church’s need to confront the painful history of Catholic-Jewish relations.
John Paul II Addresses the Anti-Defamation League
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | March 22, 1984
John Paul II condemns old and new forms of discrimination and violence against Jews and affirms the Catholic Church’s commitment to reconciliation.
John Paul II Addresses the Simon Wiesenthal Center
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | April 25, 1983
The pope links Holocaust remembrance with Catholic-Jewish dialogue and stresses the shared responsibility to oppose racial and religious hatred.
Theology, Scripture, Liturgy, and Education
New Glossary Breaks Ground in Tackling Antisemitism Through a Catholic Lens
The Catholic edition of the Translate Hate glossary explains antisemitic expressions and adds Catholic commentary intended to help educators, clergy and laypeople recognize and challenge anti-Jewish prejudice.
Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition
This Catholic edition of an antisemitism glossary explains tropes such as deicide, blood libel and conspiracy theories alongside official Catholic teaching rejecting them.
A Smothering Embrace? Hermeneutical Issues in Catholic Discourse About Jews and Judaism
| E. O. D. Polyakov | Harvard Theological Review | 2024
This scholarly article questions whether contemporary Catholic descriptions of Judaism sometimes continue to impose Christian theological categories upon Jewish identity and self-understanding.
Still Supersessionist?
| Brad East | Commonweal | November 17, 2021
A theological review asks whether Catholic thought has fully abandoned the belief that the Church replaced Israel and considers the connection between supersessionism and antisemitism.
Deicide
| American Jewish Committee | Translate Hate | March 2021
This glossary entry explains how the accusation that Jews collectively killed Jesus fueled centuries of Christian persecution and was rejected by the Catholic Church in 1965.
Progressive Replacement Theology
| Mark Tooley | Tablet | February 28, 2019
The author examines how traditional Christian supersessionism can reappear in modern political narratives that assign Jewish experience a subordinate role within another group’s story.
Oberammergau Passion Play: A Brief History
| American Jewish Committee | AJC | 2019
This history documents longstanding antisemitic elements in the Catholic Passion play and the decades-long campaign by Jewish and Christian organizations to reform it.
Preaching the Mystery of Faith: The Sunday Homily
| United States Conference of Catholic Bishops | USCCB | November 2012
The bishops instruct Catholic preachers to avoid anti-Jewish interpretations and to use scripture as an opportunity to promote respect for Judaism and Christianity’s Jewish origins.
Bishops Issue Collection on the Bible, the Jews and the Death of Jesus
| USCCB Staff | United States Conference of Catholic Bishops | February 11, 2004
The bishops announce a collection of Catholic documents intended to prevent scripture and Passion narratives from being used to support antisemitism.
The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible
| Pontifical Biblical Commission | The Holy See | February 12, 2002
This extensive biblical study rejects contemptuous readings of Judaism and affirms the permanent value of Jewish scripture, interpretation and covenantal identity.
John Paul II on the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Identity
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | April 28, 1999
The pope warns that seeds infected with anti-Judaism and antisemitism must never again be permitted to take root in Christian hearts.
A Theological Reflection on Anti-Judaism
| Georges Cottier | The Holy See | December 1, 1997
The author distinguishes theological anti-Judaism from modern racial antisemitism while examining the place of the Jewish people in Catholic understandings of salvation history.
John Paul II on the Roots of Anti-Judaism
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | October 31, 1997
The pope acknowledges that unjust Christian interpretations of the New Testament generated hostility toward Jews and weakened resistance to modern racial antisemitism.
Criteria for the Evaluation of Dramatizations of the Passion
These guidelines warn Catholic producers against portraying Jews as collectively evil, exaggerating Jewish responsibility for Jesus’s death or reviving antisemitic stereotypes.
Guidelines for Catholic-Jewish Relations
The guidelines call for honest teaching about Christian antisemitism, improved seminary education and careful presentation of Jews during Lent and Holy Week.
Historical Roots: Early Christianity, Medieval Europe, and the Inquisition
Antisemitism in History: From the Early Church to 1400
| United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | Holocaust Encyclopedia | April 18, 2025
This historical overview explains how deicide accusations, blood libels, religious exclusion and clerical preaching contributed to anti-Jewish persecution in medieval Christian Europe.
The Ancient Origins of Catholic Antisemitism—and What We Owe Our Jewish Siblings Today
| Richard J. Clifford | America | July 23, 2024
The author examines how hostile interpretations of Christian scripture helped sustain anti-Judaism and argues that Catholics must understand this history when confronting contemporary antisemitism.
The Jews and the Pope
| Riccardo Di Segni | Tablet | September 27, 2022
Rome’s chief rabbi examines the complicated history of Roman Jews and the papacy, including forced conversions, segregation, wartime controversy and modern reconciliation.
Medieval Western Christendom
| Robert Chazan | The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism | May 5, 2022
This academic chapter surveys the theology, imagery, legislation and popular violence that structured Jewish life within medieval Catholic Europe.
Church Fathers and Antisemitism From the Second Century Through Augustine
| Cambridge University Press | The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism | May 5, 2022
This chapter analyzes how early Christian theologians developed polemical portrayals of Jews that influenced later Catholic theology, preaching and political discrimination.
New Testament Origins of Christian Anti-Judaism
| Cambridge University Press | The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism | May 5, 2022
The chapter investigates hostile New Testament passages and the debate over whether later Christian anti-Judaism arose from the texts themselves or their interpretation.
Christians, Jews and Judaism in the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East
| Cambridge University Press | The Cambridge Companion to Antisemitism | May 5, 2022
This historical chapter examines Christian-Jewish competition, polemical writings and changing relations during the formative centuries of institutional Christianity.
Medieval Anti-Judaism
| Oxford Bibliographies Editors | Oxford Bibliographies in Jewish Studies | 2018
This scholarly bibliography surveys research on medieval Christian theology, law, preaching, violence and social practices that marginalized and persecuted Jewish communities.
The Inquisition
| History.com Editors | History | November 17, 2017
This overview explains how the Spanish Inquisition targeted conversos suspected of secretly practicing Judaism within a political culture shaped by religious intolerance and antisemitism.
The Catholic Church and the Jews
| Cambridge University Press | The Cambridge History of Judaism | 2017
This chapter surveys the Catholic Church’s changing treatment of Jews, including exclusion, conversion campaigns, modern antisemitism and post-Holocaust theological reform.
Anti-Judaism and Christian Orthodoxy: Ephrem’s Hymns in Fourth-Century Syria
| The Journal of Theological Studies | Oxford University Press | 2010
This review discusses scholarship showing how anti-Jewish rhetoric was used during fourth-century Christian theological conflicts and struggles over religious identity.
Christians and Jews
| Cambridge University Press | The Cambridge History of Christianity | 2009
This chapter traces how early medieval Catholic theology, canon law and imperial legislation simultaneously protected, restricted and marginalized Jewish communities.
Christian Anti-Judaism: Polemics and Policies
| Cambridge University Press | The Cambridge History of Judaism | 2006
The chapter examines how theological competition between Christianity and Judaism developed into discriminatory laws, conversion pressure and organized persecution.
Antisemitism and the Birth of Europe
| R. I. Moore | Studies in Church History | 1992
The article connects the formation of medieval European Christian identity with the classification, exclusion and persecution of Jews and other religious minorities.
Nationalism, Fascism, and Organized Catholic Antisemitism
Israel as the Jesus Among Nations
| Robert Royal | Tablet | October 14, 2024
The article explores Jacques Maritain’s interpretation of antisemitism, Christianity and Jewish national restoration during the rise of fascism and Nazism.
How Jacques Maritain Went From Antisemite to Catholic Champion of the Jewish People
| Richard Francis Crane | America | August 22, 2024
This intellectual biography traces Maritain’s movement away from antisemitic assumptions toward a theological defense of Jewish dignity and opposition to fascism.
Saint Joseph, the Turks and the Jews: The Path to Antisemitism of Josef Deckert
| David L. Dahl | Austrian History Yearbook | 2024
A study of the Viennese priest Josef Deckert shows how religious polemics, nationalism and fabricated ritual-murder stories could draw Catholic clergy into modern antisemitic activism.
Old Antisemitism, New Audience
| Paul Moses | Commonweal | November 9, 2022
The article examines the antisemitic writings of Catholic priest Denis Fahey, their influence on Father Charles Coughlin and their continued circulation among Catholic traditionalists.
The Italian Catholic Press and the Racial Laws, 1938–1943
| David I. Kertzer and Roberto Benedetti | Holocaust and Genocide Studies | July 30, 2021
Archival research shows how leading Catholic newspapers supported significant portions of Fascist Italy’s anti-Jewish laws while distinguishing those measures from explicitly Nazi racial ideology.
Charles E. Coughlin
| United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | Holocaust Encyclopedia | October 9, 2020
This biography examines the Catholic priest and radio broadcaster who spread antisemitic conspiracy theories, pro-fascist opinions and attacks on Jews to an audience of millions.
Nationalism, Conspiracy Theories, and Antisemitism in the Transylvanian Greek Catholic Newspaper Dumineca
| Ion Popa | Holocaust and Genocide Studies | June 22, 2020
The study documents how a Greek Catholic diocesan newspaper promoted antisemitism, extreme nationalism and conspiracy theories on the eve of the Holocaust.
The Gods of Nation and Blood
| Robert Krieg | Commonweal | September 24, 2018
A study of Henri de Lubac and Catholic resistance in Vichy France examines the Church’s initially weak response to anti-Jewish laws and the efforts of Catholics who challenged racism.
Race and Faith: The Catholic Church, Clerical Fascism and Italian Antisemitism
| Nina Valbousquet | Modern Italy | 2018
The article studies how clerical fascists combined Catholic religious hostility with racial nationalism to promote an ethnically and religiously homogeneous Italian state.
The Antisemitism of the Italian Catholics and Nationalism
| David Lebovitch Dahl | Modern Italy | February 5, 2016
The article examines how the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica used anti-Jewish propaganda to define Italian national identity in explicitly Catholic terms.
The “New Nazis” or the “People of Our God”?
| Cambridge University Press | The Journal of Ecclesiastical History | 2016
The study examines conflicting attitudes toward Jews and Zionism among Latin Catholic clergy in Jerusalem before the adoption of Nostra Aetate.
Church, Nation, and Race: Catholics and Antisemitism in Germany and England, 1918–1945
| John Connelly | The English Historical Review | February 10, 2014
This review discusses research showing how Catholic writers in Germany and England portrayed Jews as agents of secularism, capitalism, communism and other supposed threats to the Church.
Nazi Racism and the Church
| John Connelly | Commonweal | February 13, 2012
The article describes Catholic converts and intellectuals who opposed Nazi racial antisemitism while many bishops and theologians remained silent or sought accommodation.
Catholics, Protestants and Christian Antisemitism in Nazi Germany
| Doris L. Bergen | Central European History | 1994
This influential study argues that Christian hostility toward Judaism did not by itself cause the Holocaust but helped create a cultural environment in which Nazi persecution could advance.
Anti-Bolshevism and Antisemitism: The Catholic Church in Germany and National Socialist Ideology
| Cambridge University Press | The Journal of Ecclesiastical History | July 1992
The article analyzes how Catholic fear of communism encouraged some German church leaders to share or tolerate antisemitic elements of Nazi ideology.
The Holocaust, Pius XII, and Historical Accountability
The Suspicious Catholic: On Pius XII, the Holocaust and Senate Republicans
| Paul Baumann | Commonweal | October 8, 2023
The author reflects on revelations from the Pius XII archives and on personal encounters with hostility toward Catholic-Jewish families and interfaith relationships.
New Documents From the Pontificate of Pope Pius XII
| Pontifical Gregorian University | Holy See Press Office | July 12, 2023
This announcement describes newly available Vatican archival material and the historical debate over Pius XII, the Holocaust and the development of Catholic-Jewish relations.
Reconsidering the Catholic Church and the Holocaust
| United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | USHMM | August 20, 2020
Historians discuss evidence concerning Catholic complicity, resistance and institutional silence as newly accessible Vatican archives reshape research on the Holocaust.
The Holocaust Play That Helped the Catholic Church Reject Antisemitism
| Charlotte Bonelli | Tablet | April 24, 2017
The article examines how Rolf Hochhuth’s play The Deputy intensified public debate about Pope Pius XII’s silence and the Catholic Church’s response to the Holocaust.
A History of Catholic Antisemitism and the Debate Over Pius XII
| Tom Lawson | The Journal of Ecclesiastical History | September 9, 2013
This review compares two critical histories of Catholic antisemitism, focusing particularly on nineteenth-century Catholic culture and Pope Pius XII’s conduct during the Holocaust.
War Without End: The Popes and the Jews Between Polemic and History
| Harvard Theological Review | Cambridge University Press | November 9, 2012
This review essay examines historical arguments about whether modern popes and Catholic institutions contributed to the cultural conditions in which racial antisemitism developed.
Catholics
| Kevin P. Spicer | The Oxford Handbook of Holocaust Studies | January 2, 2011
This chapter evaluates Catholic antisemitism, the behavior of German Catholics, institutional inaction and the contested response of Pope Pius XII to Nazi persecution.
Catholic Teaching on the Shoah
These educational guidelines call Catholic schools and universities to study Christian anti-Judaism, modern racial antisemitism and the historical conditions surrounding the Holocaust.
The Catholic Church in Poland and the Holocaust
| Dariusz Libionka | Yad Vashem | 2001
This study examines Polish Catholic attitudes toward Jews during the Holocaust, including clerical antisemitism, institutional responses and assistance provided by individual priests.
Memory and Reconciliation: The Church and the Faults of the Past
| International Theological Commission | The Holy See | March 7, 2000
This theological document considers how the Church should acknowledge historical wrongdoing, including Christian hostility toward Jews, while seeking repentance and reconciliation.
NCCB Issues Collection of Documents on the Holocaust
The bishops announce educational materials bringing together Catholic teachings, statements and reflections concerning the Holocaust, antisemitism and Christian responsibility.
U.S. Catholic Officials Issue Statement Concerning the Shoah Document
| U.S. Catholic Officials | United States Conference of Catholic Bishops | March 17, 1998
Catholic officials welcome the Vatican’s reflection on the Holocaust while acknowledging the need for deeper examination of Christian anti-Judaism and Catholic failures during the Nazi period.
We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah
| Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews | The Holy See | March 16, 1998
This Vatican document condemns the Holocaust, calls Catholics to repent for failures to help persecuted Jews and urges renewed awareness of Christianity’s Jewish roots.
Letter for the Publication of We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah
| Pope John Paul II | The Holy See | March 12, 1998
John Paul II calls the Holocaust an indelible stain on the twentieth century and urges Catholics to examine their responsibility for past errors, injustices and failures.
Catholic-Jewish Statement Warns Educators Against Holocaust Revisionism
Catholic and Jewish representatives warn teachers against denying, minimizing or distorting the Holocaust and emphasize the importance of historically responsible education.
Cardinal Glemp Condemns Antisemitism and Addresses the Auschwitz Convent Controversy
| Cardinal Józef Glemp | United States Conference of Catholic Bishops | August 23, 1991
Poland’s Catholic primate condemns antisemitism and expresses regret over statements and misunderstandings that intensified conflict surrounding the Carmelite convent at Auschwitz.
