The Vatican-Synagogue Agreement

Catholic Family News ^ | 1/15/2016 | John Vennari

[ebb tide]

During Vatican II, Father Yves Congar (above), acting as official Vatican envoy, met with Jews in France to ask them what they wanted. The Jews answered they wanted to be considered as "brothers, partners equal in dignity". Lazare Landau writes, "the Council granted our wishes". Since then, two new concepts have emerged in the Church's relations with Jews; the notion of "praying to the same Lord", and that of a "common mission" to bring God to the world (that requires no need for Jews to convert to Christ's Church for salvation), which are the principles the post Conciliar Popes, including Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. In light of Francis' upcoming visit to the synagouge (Jan. 17, 2016), we repost this brief exposé.

The Vatican-Synagogue Agreement Vatican II & Rome's Secret Accord with Jewish Leaders

by John Vennari

During the early days of the Second Vatican Council, a secret meeting took place between the Holy See and a group of Jews. It was a kind of "Vatican-Moscow" agreement applied to the Synagogue. The Vatican-Moscow agreement was a secret pact between Vatican and the Kremlin made in 1962 wherein in exchange for Russian Orthodox observers to be present at the Council, John XXIII guaranteed that Vatican II would contain no condemnation of Communism. [1]

News of the pact between Moscow and the Vatican is now widely publicized. The Vatican's secret accord with Jewish leaders is not so well known.

The meeting concerning the Jews took place around 1962-63, and was recounted by the Jewish writer Lazare Landau in the French journal Tribune Juive (number 903), dated January 17-23, 1986. Pope John XXIII had entrusted these negotiations to Cardinal Bea, who at the time was the Pope's point man for ecumenism and interreligious dialogue.

Landau writes of Bea: "He sent secret emissaries to the Jewish communities to find out what they wanted. Thus, the Jews of Strasbourg received the Reverend Father Congar, OP, who came, shrouded in mystery, to the synagogue, where he listened for two hours as the community leaders explained their grievances."

This was the origin of the "new perspective" that would be imposed on Catholic doctrine, which was, as Jean Madiran notes, that "we must no longer speak of the infidelity of Israel but of its fidelity."

Lazare Landau went into much more detail about this meeting in number 1001 of Tribune Juive, dated December 25-31, 1987. Landau reveals:

"On a misty, freezing winter's evening in 1962-1963, I went to the Centre communautaire de le Paix [Peace Community Center] at Strasbourg in response to an extraordinary invitation. The Jewish leaders were holding a secret meeting in the basement with the envoy of the Pope. At the conclusion of the Sabbath, a dozen of us were there to welcome a white-robed Dominican, the Reverend Yves Congar, whom Cardinal Bea, in the name of John XXIII had charged with asking us, on the eve of the Council, what we expected from the Church...

"The Jews, kept apart from Christian society for nearly twenty centuries, and often treated as underdogs, enemies and deicides, asked to be completely rehabilitated. As descendants in the direct lineage from the monotheistic stock of Abraham, where Christianity arose, they asked to be considered as brothers, partners equal in dignity, of the Christian Church...

"The white messenger, divested of any symbol or adornment, returned to Rome taking with him innumerable petitions in harmony with our own. After difficult debate ... the Council granted our wishes.

"Homilies and catechisms changed in a few short years. In France, the flower of this renewed doctrine was presented by the Editions du Centurion under the name: The Faith of Catholics. The French episcopate, in the person of L.A. Elchinger, Bishop of Strasbourg, played a decisive part in the presenting of the contemporary 'Jewish Question' at the Council. The clergy readily adopted the conciliar decisions. This attitude found powerful backing in the 'Pastoral Orientations' of the Episcopal committee for relations with Judaism, published by the French Episcopal Conference on April 16, 1973.

"In the Vatican itself, this current of thought received endorsement from a most eminent quarter. On October 4, 1983, in front of Pope John Paul II and the World Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Etchegaray, the minister of the Holy See, made a ringing declaration that resolved all the Jewish 'problems' in two points:

1. A total definitive reconciliation with Judaism and the Jews;

2. Repentance and pardon to be sought for the wrongs committed in the past. "Since the secret visit from Father Congar in a concealed part of the synagogue, on a cold winter's night, the Church's doctrine has indeed undergone a total change." [2]

Jean Madiran noted that Father Congar would never confirm or deny that this meeting took place. What is most important, however, is that we see the consequences of Landau's report unfolding from the time of the Council to the present.

Related - see:

• Nothing Traditional About it: Pope Benedict XVI and Judaism

• Blind Guides: Conciliar Vatican Announces "No Mission" to Convert Jews

Notes: 1. Vatican-Moscow Agreement, Jean Madiran. The Fatima Crusader, No. 16. Sept.-Oct., 1984 2. Quoted directly form "Rome's Secret Accord with Jewish Leaders", Jean Madiran, Originally published in the Autumn 1990 issue of Madiran's French journal Intineraires, published in English by Anthony Fraser's Apropos, Supplement to Apropos No. 9 (not dated), pp. 4-6.. Emphasis added.

• • •

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Gee, that would be news to Peter, Paul and the other Apostles...

[kearnyirish2]

It would be news to Jesus, who said the only way to His Father was through Him...

[af_vet_1981]

"In the Vatican itself, this current of thought received endorsement from a most eminent quarter. On October 4, 1983, in front of Pope John Paul II and the World Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Etchegaray, the minister of the Holy See, made a ringing declaration that resolved all the Jewish 'problems' in two points:

1. A total definitive reconciliation with Judaism and the Jews;

2. Repentance and pardon to be sought for the wrongs committed in the past. "Since the secret visit from Father Congar in a concealed part of the synagogue, on a cold winter's night, the Church's doctrine has indeed undergone a total change." [2]

I'm loving it; no doubt it causes consternation to those who were traditionally antisemitic, either culturaly or theologically. Among Christians, Jews have no better friends that Catholics..

The Church and non-Christians

839 "Those who have not yet received the Gospel are related to the People of God in various ways."325

The relationship of the Church with the Jewish People. When she delves into her own mystery, the Church, the People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link with the Jewish People,326 "the first to hear the Word of God."327 The Jewish faith, unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response to God's revelation in the Old Covenant. To the Jews "belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ",328 "for the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable."329

840 And when one considers the future, God's People of the Old Covenant and the new People of God tend towards similar goals: expectation of the coming (or the return) of the Messiah. But one awaits the return of the Messiah who died and rose from the dead and is recognized as Lord and Son of God; the other awaits the coming of a Messiah, whose features remain hidden till the end of time; and the latter waiting is accompanied by the drama of not knowing or of misunderstanding Christ Jesus.


The Catholic Church's relationship to Judaism as taught by the Second Vatican Council and the interpretations and developments of that teaching by subsequent popes, "are binding on a Catholic," said the Vatican official responsible for relations with the Jews.


Visit to Israel[edit] In March 2000, John Paul II visited Yad Vashem, (the Israeli national Holocaust memorial) in Israel and later made history by touching the holiest site in Judaism, the Western Wall in Jerusalem,[13] placing a letter inside it (in which he prayed for forgiveness for the actions against Jews in the past).[5][13][14][15] In part of his address he said: “I assure the Jewish people the Catholic Church ... is deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place”, he added that there were “no words strong enough to deplore the terrible tragedy of the Holocaust”.[13][14] Israeli cabinet minister Rabbi Michael Melchior, who hosted the Pope's visit, said he was “very moved” by the Pope's gesture.[13][14]

“ “It was beyond history, beyond memory” ” —  Rabbi Michael Melchior (26 March 2000)[14] “ “We are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer, and asking your forgiveness we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant.” ”

— Pope John Paul II (12 March 2000) from a note left by the Pope at the Western Wall in Jerusalem [15][16] Intercommunity praise[edit] In October 2003, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a statement congratulating Pope John Paul II on entering the 25th year of his papacy:

His deep commitment to reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people has been fundamental to his papacy. Jews throughout the world are deeply grateful to the Pope. He has defended the Jewish people at all times, as a priest in his native Poland and during his pontificate... We pray that he remains healthy for many years to come, that he achieves much success in his holy work and that Catholic-Jewish relations continue to flourish.[17]

Immediately after the pope's death, the ADL issued a statement that Pope John Paul II had revolutionised Catholic-Jewish relations, saying that “more change for the better took place in his 27 year Papacy than in the nearly 2,000 years before.”[18] In another statement issued by the Australia, Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, Director Dr. Colin Rubenstein said,“The Pope will be remembered for his inspiring spiritual leadership in the cause of freedom and humanity. He achieved far more in terms of transforming relations with both the Jewish people and the State of Israel than any other figure in the history of the Catholic Church”[5]

“ “With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers, and in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers.” ” —  Pope John Paul II (13 April 1986)[19]

[ebb tide]

Do you have any citations to quote that were prior to VC II?

[piusv]

Do you have any citations to quote that were prior to VC II?

Of course he doesn't: they are "theologically anti-Semitic".

[piusv]

The Catholic Church has always been accustomed to pray for the Jewish people, who were the depository of divine promises up until the arrival of Jesus Christ, notwithstanding their subsequent blindness, or rather, because of this very blindness. Moved by that charity, the Apostolic See has protected the same people from unjust ill-treatment, and just as it censures all hatred and enmity among people, so it altogether condemns in the highest degree possible hatred against the people once chosen by God, viz., the hatred that now is what is usually meant in common parlance by the term known generally as anti-Semitism.

-Pope Pius IX

[ebb tide]

Thanks for quoting a truly Catholic source.

[piusv]

You bet.

[af_vet_1981]

Do you have any citations to quote that were prior to VC II?

Sure, there are citations dating from perhaps 1450 BCE to 100 CE.

Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Deuteronomy, Catholic chapter six, Protestant verses three to nine,
Leviticus, Catholic chapter nineteen, Protestant verse eighteen,
Matthew, Catholic chapter twenty two, Protestant verses thirty four to forty,
Matthew, Catholic chapter twenty five, Protestant verses thirty one to forty six,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James, bold emphasis mine

[ebb tide]

None of those quotes support the post-conciliar quotes you had posted earlier.

If you believed Jesus Christ died in vain, I feel sorry for you.

[Zionist Conspirator]

No Orthodox Jew has any business engaging in ecumenism or syncretism with the Vatican or any other non-Jewish religion. Period.

The fact that the Jewish community in Rome is always hosting the Pope makes them suspect to me.

Contrary to the belief of right wing chrstians (and most Jews, unfortunately), Judaism does not teach that all religions are equally true or that "it doesn't matter" what religion you are or which "gxd" you worship.

[ebb tide]

But giving Nostra Aetate such weight, despite it only being a declaration and not a doctrinal text, has led some to see it as having a revolutionary impact, possibly breaking with nearly two millennia of Church teaching and tradition. Documents from the Councils of Florence 1438-1445 and Trent 1545-1563 seem to radically contradict the current teaching, leading some to believe this not to be a development of doctrine but a corruption of it.

Pope Francis' Synagogue Visit Underscores New Document on Catholic-Jewish Relations

[ebb tide]

Who are you to speak for orthodox Jews? Or any other Jews, for that matter?

[af_vet_1981]

They are the words of the LORD and are foundational to the love that Catholics have for the Jews. They are the two great commandments of the Messiah and they both apply to the Jews, especially the Second in regard to being a requirement to love the Jews. Nostra Aetate is binding for Catholics. Forming another sect in protest against reconciliation between the one holy catholic apostolic church and her elder brethren, the Jews, perilous as evidenced by Hutton and Mel Gibson.

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

First John, Catholic chapter two, Protestant verses three to four,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James

[ebb tide]

Nostra Aetate is binding for Catholics.

Pure B.S.

[ebb tide]

Forming another sect in protest against reconciliation between the one holy catholic apostolic church and her elder brethren,...

The only reconciliation will be "her elder brothers" converting to what you correctly described as, "the one holy catholic apostolic church".

What part of "one" do you not understand?

[af_vet_1981]

What part of "one" do you not understand?

The part where protesting sects pretend to be "one" while denying Vatican II, Nostra Aetate, and the last six popes.

Particularly noteworthy is that the document repudiates replacement theology, also known as supersessionism — the teaching that the Church has replaced (or superseded) Israel in God’s plan of salvation by substituting the “Old Covenant” with a new one of the New Testament. It also reiterates the Church's condemnation of anti-Semitism, quoting Francis’ dictum that one cannot be both a Christian and an anti-Semite.

[ebb tide]

Where are the Jews in your “one, holy, Catholic and apostolic church”?

[af_vet_1981]

Where are the Jews in your “one, holy, Catholic and apostolic church”?

I already posted the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which, it seems to me, you publicly rejected. The referenced article you yourself posted delves into the mystery. Did you read all the article before you posted it ?

The Jews are the foundation of the one holy catholic apostolic church. From the scriptures we see God's love and mercy for the Jews is everlasting, albeit tempered with judgment. Woe to the Gentiles who have, from jealousy, envy, and malice, acted uncharitably against the Jews or failed to act charitably toward the Jews. The root is holy and they are beloved for the fathers' sake. Woe to those who follow after Balaam/Baalam.