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Editorial

We dedicate this issue of SIDIC, in gratitude, to Edward Idris Cardinal Cassidy for his years of service, from December 12, 1989 until March 3, 2001 as President of the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews from December 12, 1989 until March 3, 2001. Cardinal Cassidy was a leader with warmth, courage and integrity. His words on teshuvah delivered in 1990 at the 13th International Liaison Committe (ILC) meeting in Prague will long be remembered by many. The fruits of this inspiring and challenging message were very evident on May 1-3, 2001 at the 17th ILC meeting in New York City which Cardinal Cassidy attended along with his successor, Cardinal Walter Kasper. (p. 18-25) On March 13, 2001 in Jerusalem, in his first public address following his retirement as President, Cardinal Cassidy summarized the signs of progress in the 35 years since Vatican Council II and reminded us of Pope John Paul II’s affirmation of our call – as Christians and Jews – “to be a blessing to the world…(and)…a blessing to one another.” (p. 2-7) Cardinal Cassidy’s life and ministry have, indeed, been such a blessing! SIDIC and his many friends – Christian and Jewish - now wish him blessings in abundance as he returns to his home country, Australia.

Like his predecessor Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, Cardinal Cassidy has walked faithfully in the footsteps of the prophetic architect of Nostra Aetate, Cardinal Augustin Bea. To honor these men whose lives - since Vatican Council II - have been committed to promoting Christian unity and Christian-Jewish reconciliation and understanding, this issue of SIDIC features papers presented on May 18, 2000 at the 30th Anniversary of the Bea Lectures at the Sion Centre of Christian Jewish Relations in London. Established to honor Cardinal Bea and to carry forward his work for Christian-Jewish relations in the Church, the Bea lectures have become one of the most significant Catholic-Jewish events in the United Kingdom. The papers at the 30th Anniversary Bea Lecture were presented by Dr. Edward Kessler, Executive Director of the Centre for Jewish Christian Relations in Cambridge, and Canon Andrew White, Anglican priest and Director of the Center for International Ministry at Coventry Cathedral. Their papers express the hope and potential for a different future as Jews and Christians learn together from history. Both are aware of the blessing we can be for each other as we search together for a deeper understanding of the biblical text and of the histories of Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism. Dr. Joseph Sievers, professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, offers a brief ‘after the event’ written response to Dr. Kessler’s presentation.

The Documentation and News section features the proceedings and main documents of the May 1-3, 2001 International Liaison Committee meeting in New York City. It presents, as well, a brief overview of the 10th anniversary celebrations of ICCI - the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel. (p. 26) This report effectively illustrates the efforts of members of the major faith communities in Israel to be “a blessing for one another” through their work together for a civil society and for mutual understanding and respect.

The books reveiwed in this issue have already received the attention of a wide readership. Michael Phayer’s The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, reviewed by John T. Pawlikowski, presents an informed, objective and nuanced overview of the Catholic Church in relation to the Holocaust during the years 1930 to 1965. Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews: A History, the much-debated book by James Carroll, receives a respectful, comprehensive review by Philip A. Cunningham who addresses aspects of the book which have been troubling to many and highlights as well the volume’s contributions and strengths.