Should Catholic Evangelization Target Jews?
A National Catholic Register Symposium
Edited by John Zmirak
Ed. An abridged version of the full text was published in the Oct. 6-12, 2002 edition of the National Catholic Register. This alternate abridgment is printed with permission of the National Catholic Register, appearing in The Hebrew Catholic #77, Fall 2002, pp. 25-31. The full text may be viewed on the web at: http://www.ncregister.com/Register_News/093002jew.htm
WASHINGTON — The Catholic dialogue with Jewish believers has been fraught with difficulty since the Church’s earliest days. And when the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. bishops’ office recently released a preliminary statement, Reflections on Covenant & Mission it generated a storm of controversy over issues that lie at the very heart of the Christian mystery. Said the bishops’ committee document: “[C]ampaigns that target Jews for conversion to Christianity are no longer theologically acceptable in the Catholic Church.”
The scholars contacted by the Register for this symposium were eager to respond in depth. The Register published a sampling from their comments, the full texts of which follow.
The Bishops’ View, Dr. Eugene Fisher
A Man from Mars, Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
Their Joy is Boundless, Dr. Ronda Chervin
All Israel Will Be Saved, Fr. Francis Martin
The Church Must Proclaim Christ, Mark Drogin
Intended Only for Gentiles?, David Moss