A Word to Outsiders

So far, the second session of the Vatican Council has dealt with schemata (agenda items) that have been of primary interest to Roman Catholics. This week the prelates are taking up an issue of profound interest to millions outside the church--the relationship of Catholicism to other faiths.

Two chapters in the schema on ecumenism stand out particularly as landmarks in the history of the 20th century church. One, which faces bitter opposition from Italian and Spanish conservatives at the council, declares that every man has the right to worship as his conscience dictates, and that all men, as well as the state, are duty-bound to respect this right. Says U.S. Jesuit John Courtney Murray: "This hits right at the heart of the old Roman thesis that freedom of religion is only tolerated when Catholics are in the minority, and disappears when Catholics are in the majority."

The other epoch-making chapter in the schema is a strong denunciation of anti-Semitism that has already been greeted warmly by Jewish leaders all over the world. Prepared by the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, the chapter describes the deep spirtual bond between the church and the chosen people, makes clear that guilt for the death of Jesus Christ rests upon all mankind. Preachers and catechists are warned that accounts of the Crucifixion must not give rise to hatred or persecution of the Jews.

The chapter concludes: "Since the church possesses such a common heritage with the synagogue, this sacred synod wants to foster and command in every way mutual understanding and esteem toward each other . . . Moreover, just as it severely condemns injustices to men wherever they occur, so even more with maternal concern it deplores and condemns hatreds and persecutions against the Jews whether they occurred in times past or in our own times."

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