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News Notes
The Editors
Australian Seminar
The Education Committee of the Ecumenical Affairs' Commission of the Archdiocese of Melbourne arranged a seminar for teachers of catechetics in the Catholic Secondary Schools in April, 1971. The subject was ecumenism. The teachers of the primary levels studied « The Ecumenical Approach to Judaism in Catechetics » and those dealing with older students took as their theme « Ecumenism in the Christian Churches ».
Dr. Jones, Episcopal Vicar for Ecumenism gave the introductory talk, emphasizing the Jewish roots of Christianity. The main address by Sister Shirley Sedawie (a Sister of Sion working at the Centre for Jewish—Christian Dialogue) outlined the history resulting from prejudice concluding with guidelines for the presentation of the Jews in the New Testament. Group discussions, study of the Jewish feasts, in particular the Passover, and a visit to a synagogue concluded the day's programme.
THE EDITORS
Third Annual Menorah Institute« In a world so small, with so many burning issues, the question is likely to be raised — why the Jews? Why be concerned with the Jews at this particular time? »
Miss Eva Fleischner of Marquette University posed this question in her opening address to a group of clergy, religious and laymen who gathered at Seton Hall, South Orangge, N.J., U.S.A., from various parts of the United States and Canada for the third annual Menorah Institute. Under the sponsorship of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith and the Institute of Judaeo-Christian studies. June 15 to 25 was set aside to foster a renewed vision of the Christian response to the Jewish people. Miss Fleischnel presented the rationale for these annual institutes when she responded to her own query:
« We belong to a generation that has witnessed two major events in Jewish history — the Holocaust and the birth of the State of Israel, two extreme poles, the one of death and destruction, the other of resurrection and life. »
She added that these events challenge all men. They challenge Christians especially to rethink and revise theological views which impoverish their own spiritual lives and which have led to much suffering and persecution of the Jews.
In his welcoming remarks, Dr. Lichten, Director of Intercultural Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League, addressed himself to the same issue when he reported that during a recent audience with Pope Paul VI the Holy Father stressed that too often Catholics neglect to keep in mind the injustices committed in the past against Jews living among them.
Further challenges were hurled by Joseph R. Thomas, managing editor of The Advocate, when he suggested that honest dialogue, defending the justice of Israeli claims in the Middle East, and wiping out anti-Semitism should be top priority goals for Jewish—Christian relations. He went on to say that anti-Semitism hurts Christians more than it hurts Jews, in the sense that it poisons the well-springs of their own faith.
With these goals in mind, the participants attended three courses on Judaism: Rabbi Irving Greenburg of the Yeshiva University spoke of « Contemporary Jewish Issues: Christian Concerns », « Rabbinic Wisdom: An Inspiration to Christians » was given by Rabbi Avram Holtz of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, and Monsignor Oesterreicher, Director of the Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies, talked on « Seminal Themes of the Scripture ».
Realistically all kept in mind Monsignor Oesterreicher's words: « the idealization of Jews is as bad as their demonization. What is needed is the re-discovery by Christians of the spiritual reality of Judaism and its vision as a way of righteousness, alive, and life-giving ».
Cambridge ConferenceUnder the title « The Earth is the Lord's », the Annual Cambridge Conference of the Council of Christians and Jews took place over the weekend of July 23 to 25, 1971.
Sixty-five members and friends of the Council, drawn from all sections of the Christian and Jewish communities, met at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, England, to consider the question of man's use and misuse of the natural universe. The Conference brought specific Jewish and Christian theological insights to bear upon the urgent problems of pollution and conservation, coming to the conclusion that only religious attitudes and strong religious faith can suffice to give mankind both the hope of the continuing fulness of the earth and, as well, the motivation for working to that end.
Under the chairmanship of the Reverend William W. Simpson, General Secretary of the Council, two main lectures were given. The first was by Dr. Edwin Barker, Secretary to the Board for Social Responsibility of the General Synod of the Church of England. The second was given by Mr. Elliot Philipp, Senior Consultant in Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the Royal Northern Hospital and the City of London Maternity Hospital. Although both speakers approached the vital question of world pollution from their separate Christian and Jewish points of view, there was a deep unanimity in their findings, both stressing man's responsibility within the animate and inanimate universe.
A good deal of the conference work was done in group discussion, and out of these groups came, at the end of the weekend, a statement which was sent to the Minister for the Environment, and which will be extensively used by all the conference members in the various fields open to them.
(Press release issued by the Council of Christians and Jews.)
Ecumenical Formation SessionThe ninth Session of Ecumenical Formation, under the direction of Professor Maria Vingiani, President of SAE (Società Attività Ecumenica), was held in Naples from July 30 to August 7, 1971.
The basic theme of the gathering was « The Word of God ». Professor Elio Toaff, Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community in Rome, gave the introductory lecture on « The Bible as the Word of God » from a Jewish viewpoint. The significance of man in history echoed throughout his lecture. In the garden of Eden, man, rejecting eternal infancy, chose to know good and evil so that he could function as a responsible, mature individual in the world. Thus, man created his history, constantly seeking God as God sought man, until they met in the covenantal relationship from which time man lived his history always attempting to reflect the will of his God. Fr. C.A. Rijk, responsible for Jewish—Christian relations within the Secretariat for Christian Unity, approached the same topic from a Christian viewpoint. Emphasizing the historical fact of an original union, he indicated that the cleavage between Jew and Christian resulting from theological and dogmatic principles evolved in early exegesis is gradually being healed as Vatican Council II's renewed outlook permeates the Church. The renewed Catholic searches the Bible in order to perceive God's will for his daily attitude and action. Christ's significance is not so much doctrinal as existential, the Christian looks to Christ in his history-making decisions. Therefore, both Jew and Christian turn to the Bible in their efforts to walk in the way of God.
The remaining days were less specifically related to Jewish—Christian affairs. The Word of God from an ecumenical viewpoint was considered by Cardinal C. Ursi, Archbishop of Naples, and by Professor G. Williams, the Secretary General of the COE (European Conference of Churches). Professor Carlo Martini S.J., rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, spoke of the practical problems of the Catholic Church in relationship to the Word of God. The Orthodox problems were viewed by Archimandrite V. Tsiopanàs of the Greek Orthodox Church in Rome. The Director of the Biblical Society B.&F., throughout Italy, Profes sor R. Bertalot, reflected the Protestant situation. Dr. Ettore Masina, a writer and journalist, gave a lecture on the Word of God in the daily life of man.
All of these lectures formed the basis for much work in study groups, where participants from various Christian Churches shared experiences, ideas, and future hopes.
T. PANTANELLI
Study Travel TourThirty-two Latin American priests and seminarians from the Pontificio Pio Collegio Latino Americano in Rome have been the guests of the Israeli government during a twenty-two day study travel tour. This study tour was organized in cooperation with CELAM (Conferenza Episcopale Latino Americano).
Priests and seminarians followed courses in cooperative agriculture and in social and community agricultural organizations and listened to some lectures on today's biblical and archeological research in the Holy Land. They also visited the country staying especially in agricultural communities of various types. A pilgrimage to the principal Holy Places was included as well.
THE EDITORS
