A two day interfaith dialogue between Catholics and Jews, the first of its kind in Canada, closed here yesterday with both groups agreeing that it was an auspicious beginning and should become a regular event. A 12-man planning committee is studying the feasibility of future meetings, and the possibility of expanding them to include Protestants.
The dialogue, sponsored by Loyola of Montreal and the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith attracted nearly 100 clergy and laymen of both faiths. The keynote was set by Dr. Joseph Lichten, head of intercultural affairs of the ADL in New York, and Dr. John Kane, sociology professor at Notre Dame University.
Dr. Lichten spoke of the “disappointment” of Jews with organized Christendom’s failure to respond strongly to the grave danger to its existence that confronted Israel prior to last June’s Six-Day War. This, he said, “has led to a negative attitude toward the entire movement called the Judeo-Christian dialogue. Now is the time when we should increase our dialogue, not abandon it.”
Dr. Kane referred to the Vatican Council’s document on the Jews as “a marked reversal of the beliefs and attitudes of many Catholics throughout the centuries” and outlined three major areas of scholarship that must be pursued by Catholics if the Vatican II document was to be made meaningful. These, he said were study of the commentaries and interpretations of the New Testament to remove “any possibility for bigots to exploit the gospels for anti-Semitic purposes”; research in historical studies to clarify misunderstandings; and scholarship in theological studies of Jewish-Christian relations.
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