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JOE PANIAN'S
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Catholic, Jewish Clergy
Seek Better Relations
SUSAN GRANT
Staff Writer
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THE UNBEATABLE DEALER
en years ago in a small
Maine town, two girls
selling Christmas
cards for the local parochial
school knocked on a
neighbor's door.
The man who lived there
told the girls he didn't want
any, but if they had Chanu-
kah cards he would buy
them. As he answered their
questions about Chanukah,
the girls, realizing the man
was Jewish, took a few steps
back in horror and told the
man his people killed Jesus
Christ. When the man called
the school, a nun told him
she didn't know where the
girls picked up that idea, but
that the school no longer
taught Jews were guilty of
deicide.
"The nun was right. The
Catholic Church did stop
teaching that some time ago.
But those girls learned it
somewhere," said Rabbi
Daniel Polish of Temple
Beth El, who told the story
to an audience of 125 Jews
and Catholics Jan. 8 at the
temple. Rabbi Polish and
Monsignor Alex Brunett, di-
rector of the office of
Ecumenical and Inter-
religious Affairs of the
Detroit Archdiocese, spoke
on the state of Jewish-
Catholic relations in
celebration of the 25th an-
niversary of Nostra Aetate in
which the Catholic Church
declared anti-Semitism sin-
ful and renounced the
charge of deicide. The event
was sponsored by the Ameri-
can Jewish Committee
Detroit Chapter and Temple
Beth El.
While Jewish-Catholic re-
lations have greatly improv-
ed since Nostra Aetate (In
Our Times), the story il-
lustrates more must be done
to foster better understan-
ding between the two re-
ligions, Rabbi Polish said.
Pre-Vatican II teachings,
including the belief Jews
were guilty of deicide and
that Judaism was an ob-
solete religion, helped to
create "feelings of distrust
and hatred," Rabbi Polish
said. "Before Vatican II, you
couldn't attribute all anti-
Semitism to Catholic Chur-
ch teachings. Yet, the
teachings of the Catholic
Church did exacerbate those
ideas."
Monsignor Brunett said
the section of Nostra Aetate
about Judaism is only seven
paragraphs long, but since
its publication there have
been many changes within
the Church.
Seminary studies now in-
clude mandatory classes on
Judaism and Church schol-
ars are studying rabbinical
sources, Monsignor Brunett
said. The Catholic Church
has erased anti-Semitic
teachings from its yearly
liturgy cycle and has helped
clergy decide what to say
when discussing Judaism.
While the scripture cannot
be changed, clergy members
are giving it new interpreta-
tions.
The Catholic Church has
come to appreciate Judaism,
not just as a prelude to
Christianity, but as a cove-
nant with God in its own
right, Monsignor Brunett
said.
"We can't understand
Jesus without understan-
ding Judaism," he said.
"Jesus thought of himself as
a Jew. He prayed as a Jew.
He never renounced his
Judaism. It's a question of
converting ourselves toward
Judaism."
But tensions between Jews
and Catholics have not dis-
appeared.
"The Catholic Church has
not turned 180 degrees
(since Nostra Aetate), but it
has turned 120 degrees,"
Rabbi Polish said. "It's like
a big boat. It can't turn
around so quickly."
The Catholic Church has
not recognized the state of
Israel or fully accepted its
role in the Shoah, Rabbi
Polish said. Jewish leaders
were also angry about the
placement of a Carmelite
monastery at Auschwitz
concentration camp in
Poland. The Vatican has
since agreed to build the
monastery off the camp
grounds.
Yet, while Catholics have
learned to appreciate what
Judaism means to Jews,
Jewish leaders do not yet
understand what it means
for a Catholic to be a
Catholic, Rabbi Polish said.
Monsigor Brunett believes
further dialogue between
Catholics and Jews will ease
those remaining tensions.
He encourages dialogue on
all levels including clergy
and lay people and is pleased
with the progress Detroit
Jews and Catholics have
made in interfaith relations.
"Detroit doesn't need to
take a backseat to anybody,"
Monsignor Brunett said. El