Cardinal Bea Memorial Lecture :

The Pontificate of Pope Pius XII.

The conference room was packed to capacity to hear the Hon. Gerard Noel and Rabbi DAvid Rosen assess the war - time pontificate of Pius XII. Questions such as the Pope's efforts to save Jews and his attitude to Nazism were discussed as well as tthe present Pope's desire to beatify Pius XII

'Respecting 'Difference
in Interfaith Dialogue

Our new Sunday afternoon series reflects a development in bi-lateral dialogue in this country. At each session a speaker from two traditions will encounter each other in their
similarities and differences building mutual respect for each other's traditions and beliefs. Through their meeting together we can all learn to respect difference.

Pope Benedict's Visit to Israel'
Catholic-Jewish Relations had been rather strained during the first part of 2009, particularly over the lifting of the excommunication ban on the holocaust denier, and member of the Society of Pius X, Bishop Richard Williamson. So when the Pope was due to visit the Holy Land in May, hopes were high that any cracks in the relationship would be mended. Indeed the pilgrimage was heralded a success as the pontiff reached out to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian populations throughout the region. The Pope has now reassured both Catholics and Jews that there is no going back on the positive relationship between Catholics and Jews established at Vatican II with the document Nostra Aetate.

ICCJ : Meeting, Berlin

At the meeting of the International Council of Christians and Jews in July of this year a new call was issued to both Christian and Jewish communities around the world. The event commemorated the anniversary of a gathering in Seelisburg, Switzerland when Jews and Christians from 19 countries gathered to express their profound grief over the Holocaust, their determination to combat antisemitism, and their desire to foster stronger relationships between Jews and Christians.

To address these vital concerns, they issued a call in the form of 10 points to Christian churches to reform and renew their understandings of Judaism and the relationships between Judaism and Christianity. Today's call reflects the need to refine the Ten Points of Seelisberg, consistent with the advances in interreligious dialogue since that groundbreaking document of 1947.

This new call contains 12 points-presented as goals, and addressed to Christians and Jews, and to Christian and Jewish communities together. After listing the 12 points and several specific tasks for each one, the document reviews the history of the relationship between Christians and Jews, which has provided the contextual framework and impetus for the initiative.

For further details visit the website: www.iccj.org

Library News
Some recent books in the library