The Ecumenical Council’s draft declaration on the Catholic Church’s relations with the Jewish people is “certain” to be brought to the floor of the Council next week, a spokesman for German bishops attending the conclave stated here today. Along with the document in the Jewish issue, he said, another proposal, dealing with the Church’s attitude toward religious freedom, will also emerge next week.
The spokesman for the German fathers said, however, that emergence of the document on Jews does not mean necessarily that the declaration will be promulgated before the end of the current session on November 21. Such culmination, he said, would depend on the vote to be taken by the Council. He also cautioned that “this is the situation as it stands today, but it cannot be predicted that some other events might not intervene.”
The daily press panel of the American bishops here stated yesterday that, even if the Council approves the latest version of the declaration on the Jewish issue, it may still postpone final action, since it will have to decide on the final placement of the document among the various pending schemas!
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