A belief that the next session of the Ecumenical Council, to be convened at the Vatican in September, will give final approval to the declaration on relations with Jews, adopted at the Council’s last session, was expressed editorially here today by the St. Louis Review, official organ of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese here.
Terming as “grabled” some reports that have stated recently that the declaration on Jewish relations would be tabled, the weekly newspaper declared: “The overwhelming majority of the Fathers last November 20 voted 1,770-185 in favor of the declaration removing the last spurious theological grounds for anti-Semitism. We feel sure that the near unanimity of the bishops will not be thwarted.”
Continuing at some length on the need to erase any Church references “that might seem to substantiate the charge of deicide” against the Jewish people, the editorial added that it felt, however, “that too many Jewish groups react almost automatically to please for a re-examination of all the factors involved in government aid to those in private schools as a threat to religious freedom.” The editorial concluded that, while the Church is prepared to rethink some of its traditional positions, the Jewish people should be prepared to do the same.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.