Last week, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition, a document that seeks to promote awareness of antisemitism and to equip Catholics to address it effectively within their communities. The sixty-three-page edition contains explanations of antisemitic caricatures, symbols, ideas, and language. In addition, it offers relevant commentary by the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. This commentary identifies the ways in which the Church contributed to antisemitism historically and highlights how, despite these past contributions, this particular form of prejudice is in direct conflict with established Church teaching and with the very roots of our Christian faith.
In his opening letter, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton writes:
The committee encourages all Catholics – especially those who preach or instruct others – to take the message of the Second Vatican Council’s document, Nostra Aetate, to heart: the Jewish people remain beloved of God and share with us a common spiritual heritage.
Throughout the letter, Bishop Bambera emphasizes this heritage and highlights multiple papal admonitions against antisemitism, particularly those that followed Vatican II. To highlight the importance of the issue, he quotes Pope Francis’s 2013 Address to Members of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations:
A true Christian cannot be antisemitic.
The release of the document is timely, given the increase of antisemitism within the United States. According to the Catholic News Agency’s reporting on the document’s release, the increase in hostility towards our Jewish brothers and sisters has “skyrocketed” since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. While much of this increase has occurred during the Israel-Hamas war, the document makes a clear distinction between antisemitism and appropriate criticism of specific government actions, particularly given the Church’s stance that the development of two independent states – Israel and Palestine – is the best solution to the conflict.
The Catholic Standard quoted Rabbi Noam Marans, who collaborated with Bishop Bambera on the release of the document. He addressed the present need for the document, saying:
We’re dealing with a three-headed monster with antisemitism…the skyrocketing toxicity of hate in the U.S. and in the world…distance from the reality and the lessons of the Shoah…and social media.
Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition concludes with a call for the faithful to assist in identifying and reporting antisemitism, defending those being targeted, and educating others on the dangers that such hatred poses. To this end, it provides a list of resources, including documents that address Jewish-Catholic relations, relevant Catholic social teaching, an in-depth definition of antisemitism, and contact information of agencies that will take reports of antisemitism.
Image: “Judaism” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Jrwooley6
Ariane Sroubek is a writer, school psychologist and mother to two children here on earth. Prior to converting to Catholicism, she completed undergraduate studies in Bible and Theology at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. She then went on to obtain her doctorate in School and Child Clinical Psychology. Ariane’s writing is inspired by her faith, daily life experiences and education. More of her work can be found at medium.com/@sroubek.ariane and at https://mysustaininggrace.com.
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