Pope Leo: The message of 'Nostra aetate' remains as urgent as ever

Pope Leo XIV presides at &ldquoWalking Together in Hope,&rdquo a celebration of 60 years of &ldquoNostra aetate&rdquo, the Second Vatican Council&rsquos Declaration on Interreligious Dialogue.

&ldquoSixty years ago&rdquo, with the publication of Nostra aetate, the Second Vatican Council&rsquos Declaration on the relation of the Church to non-Christian Religions, &ldquoa seed of hope for interreligious dialogue was planted,&rdquo Pope Leo XIV said on Tuesday evening. &ldquoToday, your presence bears witness that this seed has grown into a mighty tree, its branches reaching far and wide, offering shelter and bearing the rich fruits of understanding, friendship, cooperation and peace.&rdquo

The Holy Father was addressing his remarks to representatives of world religions, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, and Vatican and Church officials committed to interreligious dialogue, who had gathered in the Paul VI Hall to celebrate the anniversary of the Council&rsquos historic Declaration.

Dialogue as a way of life

Nostra aetate, the Pope said, &ldquoopened our eyes to a simple yet profound principle: dialogue is not a tactic or a tool, but it's a way of life &ndash a journey of the heart that transforms everyone involved, the one who listens and the one who speaks.&rdquo

Referring to the title of the anniversary celebration, &ldquoWalking Together in Hope&rdquo, Pope Leo said, &ldquoWe walk this journey&rdquo not by compromising our beliefs, but by remaining true to our convictions. Authentic dialogue, he continued, &ldquobegins not in compromise but in conviction &ndash in the deep roots of our own belief that gives us the strength to reach out to others in love.&rdquo

Later, recalling the Jubilee of Hope and noting that "hope" and "pilgrimage" "are realiteis common to all our religious traditions," Pope Leo insisted, "This is the journey that Nostra aetate invites us to continue to walk together in hope."

This, he said, in ot the work of a single religion, nation, or generation, but "a sacred task for all humanity, to keep hope alive, to keep dialogue alive, and to keep love alive in the heart of the world."

Martyrs for dialogue

The Holy Father began his address by recalling the many people of all beliefs who have worked over the past sixty years &ldquoto bring Nostra aetate to life,&rdquo even to the point of giving their own lives, &ldquomartyrs for dialogue, who stood against violence and hatred.&rdquo

We are where we are today, he said, &ldquobecause of their courage, their sweat, and their sacrifice.&rdquo

Nostra aetate: still highly relevant

Insisting that the message of Nostra aetate remains &ldquohighly relevant today,&rdquo Pope Leo recalled the Council&rsquos lessons: that humanity is drawing closer together, that all human beings belong to one human family with one origin and one goal that all religions try to respond to &ldquothe restlessness of the human heart&rdquo and that the Catholic Church &ldquorejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions.&rdquo

Pope Leo also recalled the origins of the Declaration, which stemmed from a desire for a document describing &ldquoa new relationship between the Church and Judaism.&rdquo This desire was realised in Nostra aetate&rsquos fourth chapter, which forms &ldquothe heart and generative core of the entire declaration.&rdquo

That chapter, the Pope continued, led to the final chapter, which teaches that &ldquowe cannot truly call on God, the Father of all, if we refuse to treat in a brotherly or sisterly way any man or woman created in the image of God.&rdquo

A sacred responsibility

In the final portion of his remarks, the visible head of the Catholic Church reminded religious leaders that they &ldquoshare a sacred responsibility: to help our people to break free from the chains of prejudice, anger and hatred to help them rise above egoism and self-centeredness to help them overcome the greed that destroys both the human spirit and the earth.

&ldquoIn this way,&rdquo he said, &ldquowe can lead our people to become prophets of our time &mdash voices that denounce violence and injustice, heal division, and proclaim peace for all our brothers and sisters.&rdquo

He reminded them of the &ldquogreat mission&rdquo with which they have been entrusted: &ldquoto reawaken in all men and women their sense of humanity and of the sacred.&rdquo

Bringing hope to humanity

&ldquoThis, my friends, is precisely why we have come together in this place,&rdquo he said, &ldquobearing the great responsibility, as religious leaders, to bring hope to a humanity that is often tempted by despair.&rdquo

Pope Leo concluded his remarks with the words of Pope Saint John Paul II, who, in Assisi in 1986, said, &ldquoIf the world is going to continue, and men and women are to survive in it, the world cannot do without prayer.&rdquo

And thus he invited them all to pause together for silent prayer, with the invocation, &ldquoMay peace come down upon us and fill our hearts.&rdquo

You can read the full text of Nostra aetate on the Vatican website.

Christopher Wells
Source: vaticannews.va/en