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1969 New York, Rockville Centre and Brooklyn: Guidelines for the advancement of Catholic-Jewish Relations
Terence Cardinal Cooke, Walter Kellenberg, Francis Mugavero

Preface

When Pope John XXIII welcomed a group of Jews who had come to demonstrate their affection for him, he spoke that now famous salutation "I am Joseph your brother" (Gn 45:4). With these words he embraced the whole Jewish people. Behind that spontaneous greeting was a vision that has continued to grow in the Church's teaching and practice during the reign of Pope Paul VI.

The teaching of Vatican II speaks in the categories of brotherly love suggested by Pope John when it recalls "the spiritual bond linking the people of the New Covenant with Abraham's stock" (Nostra Aetate, art. 4). It sees clearly that the roots of the relationship between Christianity and Judaism are to be found in the common fatherhood of Abraham. It calls upon the Church to recognize the workings of God's mysterious providence by reminding her that she must see her own beginnings in the faith and election of the patriarchs, Moses, and the prophets.

The Church ever keeps in mind the words of the Apostle about his kinsmen "who have the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenant and the legislation and the worship and the promises" (Rm 9:4). Indeed, many of the specific elements of her faith from which the Church derives her very life are foreshadowed in Israel's history: baptism in the passage through the sea; the Eucharist in the manna; Christ Himself in the cloud, the pillar of fire and the rock that yielded lifegiving water at Moses's insistent command (cf. 1 Co 10:1-5).

For all of these reasons the Church loves the Jewish people and recognizes that they "remain most dear to God, for God does not repent of the gifts He makes nor of the calls He issues" (Lumen Gentium, art. 16). With Pope Pius XI we proudly reaffirm that "spiritually we are all Semites".

Aware of this rich heritage, and the close ties with the Jewish community that it implies, we the Bishops of the Archdiocese of New York, and the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre offer these Guidelines for Catholic–Jewish Relations. We do so in the hope that they may foster a deeper spirit of fraternal understanding and love, and that they may prove a valuable instrument of mutual cooperation leading to a reassertion in our time of the religious and social values of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

We are conscious of the fact that in our three Dioceses we have one of the largest Jewish communities in the world — almost two and a half million persons. This circumstance imposes on us the special responsibility as well as offers us the opportunity to engage in a program of exchange of knowledge, respect and affection with our Jewish brothers.

It is our hope that the principles and practical suggestions of these Guidelines find a ready acceptance in every heart and an effective implementation in every parish, school, and organ of our three Dioceses.

We are gratified that the preparation of these Guidelines is the collective effort of members of our three Ecumenical Commissions because we feel that a uniform approach to the work of Catholic–Jewish Relations will produce more effective results. And finally, we wish to acknowledge in a special way the assistance of members of the Jewish community who have given us the benefit of their scholarly and critical evaluation.

May God bless this work abundantly because it is His.

Terence Cardinal Cooke Archbishop of New York Walter P. Kellenberg,
Bishop of Rockville Centre Francis J. Mugavero
Bishop of Brooklyn 18th November, 1969.

General Principles

1. The general aim of all Catholic–Jewish Programs is to increase mutual understanding between Jews and Catholics, to eliminate sources of misunderstanding and tension, and to promote that cooperation which reflects our common religious bonds by the initiation and development of inter-religious meetings at all levels.

2. The formation of permanent diocesan committees composed of priests, religious, laymen and women, together with rabbis and Jewish laymen and women, should be greatly encouraged. These units could then proceed to implement the recommended activities.

3. All programs should be marked by a genuine respect for the person and freedom of all participants and a willingness to learn from the other party. All such programs should be jointly planned and developed.

4. There should be a prior consensus on the objectives, scope, and confines of these programs, and all encounters should be worked out in a spirit of mutuality.
5. A favored instrument in promoting Catholic–Jewish understanding is the dialogue, a form of group conversation in which the participants discuss assigned topics or themes. In order to initiate and maintain a dialogue between the two Communities most effectively, experts in theology, social organization, and interpersonal skills should be consulted.

6. Conscious of the challenge of modern society to religion, we view this dialogue and all other common efforts as effective means to reaffirm the religious traditions of Judaism and Christianity, and to strengthen the commitment of both Communities to their own religious heritage.

7. We reaffirm here the statement made by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in their Guidelines for Catholic–Jewish Relations: that "proselytizing is to be carefully avoided in the dialogue".

8. Catholic–Jewish Relations should be advanced on all levels, clerical and lay, academic and popular, religious and social. Participation in these activities should be of such a nature that it will strengthen the commitment of the participants to their own religious traditions.

9. We place high value on fraternal encounters between priests and rabbis as individual religious leaders, as well as on the development of a friendly rapport with the various rabbinical associations.

10. Equal stress should be placed on a cooperative association with organizations within the Jewish Community which play an important role in furthering Jewish ideals of service, charity, and inter-religious harmony through laudable programs in all aeras of education and social action.

Recommended Activities

1. A favored activity is the dialogue described previously in "General Principles". It should be conducted in a spirit of openness, candor, and friendship. Our efforts should aim at an extended dialogue in order to achieve a deeper understanding of the living faith of the participants.

2. The following forms of dialogue are recommended:

A - Institutes for priests and rabbis, which afford religious leaders the opportunity to hear scholars of both Communities discuss their common heritage and basic differences, with the added advantage of group discusssions.

B - Institutes for lay leaders of both Communities, with themes suitable to their competence and interests.

C - Community dialogues at the popular or "grassroots" level among well-prepared participants with the cooperation of the religious leaders of both Communities.

D - Special educational programs held generally under the sponsorship of Catholic high schools, colleges and universities in collaboration with Jewish organizations.

3. The religious leaders of both Communities are reminded that their pulpit offers a powerful means of advancing mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation.

4. Catholic–Jewish understanding can also be effectively fostered at the popular level by so-called "open houses" in the places of worship, mutual visits to educational institutions, and joint social events.

5. Competent priests, religious, laymen and women are encouraged to accept invitations from Jewish congregations and organizations to explain Catholic doctrine, liturgical worship, sacramental practice, moral problems, and social doctrine. All semblance of debate should be avoided.
Catholic religious leaders are also encouraged to extend invitations to rabbis and Jewish lay leaders to participate in explanations of Jewish beliefs and practices.
If a Catholic is invited to take part in a radio or television program, or in a public discussion, it is recommended that he consult the appropriate diocesan ecumenical commission.

6. Jewish and Catholic clergy may address gatherings in which Catholics and Jews join in prayer for some common objective such as peace, social justice, brotherhood, or to ask God's blessing on the occasion of national holidays and other times when the public invocation of God is fitting. Permission is granted to preach before or after a liturgical service, but not during any specifically liturgical service. .

7. Prayer in common with Jews should be encouraged wherever it is mutually acceptable, specifically in matters of common concern, such as peace and the welfare of the community. Such prayers should take account of the spiritual sensibilities of both communities and find inspiration in their common faith in the one God.

8. It is recommended that public prayers for the welfare of the Jewish Community be included in our liturgical celebrations. In particular, it is appropriate that the intentions of individual members of the Jewish Community be included, on occasion, in the Prayer of the Faithful.

9. On occasion Catholics may accept invitations to attend the liturgical services of Jewish Congregations (e.g., the Sabbath Services, weddings, Bar Mitzvahs) for reasons such as public office, blood or marriage relationship, friendship, etc. In choosing the proper attire, priests should consider the practice of the congregation, and, where necessary, consult the rabbi.

10. In a spirit of reciprocity, Jewish religious and lay leaders who might wish to attend a Catholic liturgical celebration should be made welcome. On appropriate occasions they should be given a place of honor in the sanctuary.

11. Jewish religious and lay leaders should be invited to important diocesan and parochial events. Conversely, Catholic clergy and laity are encouraged to accept invitations of the same nature extended by the Jewish Community.

12. Catholic–Jewish cooperation should be encouraged in the field of social action in order to promote public welfare. Such cooperation should contribute to a just appreciation of the human person, the promotion of peace, and the application of Judeo-Christian principles to social life and its institutions. It should be pursued in a spirit ofsensitivity to the deepest spiritual, moral, and cultural values.

13. This cooperation should include the coordination of efforts to promote world peace, racial justice and civil rights, to combat poverty, to extend and improve educational facilities, to reduce the cause of delinquency, to relieve the victims of disaster, and to help resolve other civic problems.

14. Catholic diocesan and parish organizations as well as individuals should be encouraged to collaborate with Jewish organizations and individuals which provide services in the fields of health, education and welfare.

15. Diocesan and parochial organizations, religious Communities, educational institutions, especially seminaries, should organize programs to implement the teaching of Vatican II on the Jews, the U.S. Bishops' Guidelines and local Guidelines.

16. School texts, prayerbooks and other media should be subject to constant scrutiny in order to avoid any materials which do not accord with the content and spirit of the Vatican Council's teachings. At the same time, an earnest effort should be made to insert those teachings which show Judaism's role in Salvation-History in a positive light.

Areas of Special Interest

1. It is understood that in the difficult situation of a marriage between a Catholic and a Jew, courtesy and charity will characterize the attitude of all priests.

2. Should a rabbi accept the invitation extended to him by a Catholic couple being married in a Catholic church, he should be offered a place of honor in the sanctuary. At the request of the bridal couple, he might be invited to speak some words of congratulation and exhortation to the couple after the Catholic ceremony. He may also be asked to invoke God's blessing on the couple.

3. In the same spirit, a Catholic priest is permitted to attend the marriage of two Jewish people by a rabbi, provided that the marriage would be regarded as valid in Catholic law. At the request of the bridal couple, and with the permission of the rabbi, he might accept an invitation to speak some words of congratulation and exhortation to the couple, after the Jewish ceremony. Again, with the permission of the rabbi, he might invoke God's blessing on the couple.

4. Jews may be admitted as witnesses and attendants at a marriage ceremony in a Catholic church provided they meet the standard requirements.

5. When invited, Catholics may serve as witnesses at civil weddings of friends who belong to the Jewish Community, provided that the weddings to be witnessed will be lawful and valid according to Catholic law, and provided that they take place within the dioceses in which these regulations are in effect.

6. Most Jewish funerals are held in funeral homes, which are not houses of worship, even though they are sometimes called "chapels". A funeral service is held in the Synagogue on very rare occasions, for an outstanding Jewish scholar, rabbi, or community leader. In either case, it is advisable that priests come in their clerical street attire, and not in their liturgical vesture.

7. According to immemorial Jewish custom, a period of mourning called "Shiva" is held at the home of the deceased or of his closest kin. It is certainly very proper for Catholic friends of the deceased or of the family to visit during this week of mourning in order to give comfort and sympathy to the bereaved. Contributions to a favorite charity of the family of the deceased are considered to be an expression of neighborly concern, of friendship and of sympathy for the bereaved.

8. Catholic hosts should be prepared to take into consideration the religious dietary laws which may be observed by Jewish guests, at any function to which Jewish individuals or groups are invited, and at which refreshments are part of the program.

Themes for Catholics engaged in the dialogue

Because of its importance and practical value, we reprint in full Section 1, Paragraphs A to G of "Recommended Programs" contained in the text of the U.S. Bishops' Guidelines for Catholic–Jewish Relations. The selection of themes listed below and the extent to which they are pursued are left to the discretion of each diocesan commission.
(See "Recommended Programs" No. 10, a - g, pp. 12-13 of this issue).

The formation of Diocesan Committees

The following suggestions may be of value in the formation and operation of Catholic–Jewish Relations Committee with Diocesan sponsorship.

1. The establishment of an official, permanent committee will give consistency and continuity to the work of Catholic–Jewish Relations, and avoid haphazard, unrelated efforts.

2. The Committee should be composed of priests, religious, laymen and women, together with rabbis, Jewish laymen and women, who have some organizational experience and at least a basic knowledge of the Jewish and Catholic Communities. The size of the Committee will depend on the size of the Jewish community in the diocese and on local needs.

3. Catholic members of the Committee may be appointed to membership on the Diocesan Ecumenical Commission if they are assigned to the special Sub-Committee for Catholic–Jewish Relations.

4. Appointment of Committee members by the Ordinary will lend prestige and authority to the Committee and increase its effectiveness.

5. Since the work of the Committee is a mutual effort, a priest' and a rabbi should be co-chairmen, and the post of executive secretary should be shared by a member from each faith.

6. The Committee will be more effective if the rabbinical members are representatives of the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform areas of Judaism, and if the Jewish laymen are members of some of the principal Jewish lay organizations.

7. Once established the Diocesan Committee should plan a schedule of regular meetings each year. These meetings could have this two-fold purpose: a) the education of the members themselves by frequent presentations and discussions of topics of basic interest, and b) the preparation of a series of programs in the spirit of those suggested by these Guidelines.

The formation of local Councils

After the Diocesan Catholic–Jewish Relations Committee has been established and is functioning efficiently, serious consideration could be given to the formation of local Catholic–Jewish Councils which bring this work to the grass-roots or community level.
While at this point this type of endeavor is relatively new, and our experience is rather limited, the following steps are suggested for the formation of local Councils:

1. The Diocesan Committee should stimulate the idea itself of local Councils in various areas of the diocese.

2. The Committee should encourage the establishment of Councils, starting with areas most receptive to the idea, and where there is the greatest chance of success.

3. The Diocesan Committee should offer its assistance and cooperation to local groups which volunteer to start a Council.

4. When Councils are established, the Diocesan Committee should keep a friendly liaison with them, and seek to coordinate their activities.

5. If the structure of the local Council follows the pattern of the parent Diocesan Committee, it would help if the two co-chairmen of the Council were invited to serve as Representatives to the Diocesan Committee.

It is likely that, with the growth in the number of these Councils and the resulting gain in experience, more information may be supplied later in the form of an addendum to these Guidelines.

An "Appendix" to these Directives includes:

1. The document: the Declaration Nostra Aetate No 4 some quotations from "Directives for relations between Catholics and Jews" issued by the American bishops.

2. A note on the Vatican Office for Catholic–Jewish Relations, and on the United States Bishops' Secretariat for Catholic–Jewish Relations.

3. Mention of the publication Sidic.

4. The addresses of the Diocesan Offices for Catholic–Jewish Relations
Archdiocese of New York: 451 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y., 10022.
Diocese of Brooklyn: 75 Greene Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y . 11238
Diocese of Rockville Centre: 53 North Park Ave.,
P.O. Box 361, Rockville Centre, N.Y. 11570.