The Nostra Ætate Lecture Series

The Office of the President is pleased to announce this new lecture series building on the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's document on interreligious dialogue, as well as on other similar initiatives like the Pacem in Terris lecture series. Nostra Ætate, the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, which continues to revolutionize the Catholic Church's approach to the Jewish people and members of other religions. We invite you to join us as different lecturers from various traditions and experiences examine both ancient and contemporary questions of interreligious understanding.

Please refer to the Upcoming Lectures link to see a maintained list of prospective speakers in the program.

Overview

Forty years ago, on October 28, 1965, the Second Vatican Council issued a statement like one never before which called for increased relations with non-Christian religions. This revolutionary document, named Nostra Ætate for the first two words in its original Latin text and translated as "In our age," marked a huge transformation not only in the history of Jewish-Christian relations, but of relations with Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and many others. Prior to this time, relations, with these other faith traditions, at best, consisted of mutual ignorance and conflict. With their historic statement near the close of Vatican II, Catholic bishops from around the world created a new situation of openness and dialogue.

Nostra Ætate has perhaps been most important, however, to the Jewish people. The document supports as the chosen of God as well as illustrates Christianity's connection to Judaism. It also says that the death of Jesus cannot be blamed on all the Jewish people of Jesus' time or today. Since the document was issued, members of each faith community have begun to learn about one another's practices, theology, and history. This includes recognizing the historical relationship between the two religions, educating about the tragic events of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, and establishing cooperative programs between Christian and Jewish agencies. Jews and Christians now study each other texts and traditions, work together in social justice programs, and can simply enjoy one another's company as friends. Increased dialogue does not mean giving up one's own identity and faith, but rather gaining a basic respect and understanding of the other.

Nostra Ætate is credited for laying the groundwork for further advances in interreligious dialogue both in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Churches, among Protestants, and among many other world religions.

Lecture Schedule

There are several lectures in prospect for the Nostra Ætate series in 2008-2009. Please check the Office of the President's calendar often to learn about newly-scheduled installments in this dynamic program celebrating the vision of the Second Vatican Council's ground-breaking statements on interreligious dialogue. Learn more about past Nostra Ætate events.

Feb 3: 
Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Inter-religious Dialogue and Co-Existence in Post-War Sarajevo
3:00 p.m. - Riggs Library, 3rd Floor, Healy Hall
R.s.v.p. to: NostraAetate@georgetown.edu

Sponsors

The Nostra Ætate Lecture Series at Georgetown University is proudly co-sponsored by:

For more information, please e-mail: NostraAetate@georgetown.edu