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| Pope Francis shakes hands with Israeli Rabbi David Lau during a meeting in Jerusalem |
Jews Are Saved Even Without Believing in Christ, Vatican Claims
By Stoyan Zaimov , Christian
Post Reporter
The
Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations with Jews has released a major new
document claiming that Jews are saved even without believing in Jesus Christ.
The
theological document, titled "The Gifts and Calling of God are
irrevocable," was presented by a group of Catholic and Jewish
leaders during a press conference at the Vatican on Thursday.
"That
the Jews are participants in God's salvation is theologically unquestionable,
but how that can be possible without confessing Christ explicitly, is and
remains an unfathomable divine mystery," the document argues, in part.
The
theologians, including Cardinal Kurt Koch and Fr. Norbert Hofmann of the
Vatican Commission, reflect on that "mystery," but note that Catholic
doctrine rejects that there can be more than one path to God.
"Since
God has never revoked his covenant with his people Israel, there cannot be
different paths or approaches to God's salvation," they add.
"The
theory that there may be two different paths to salvation, the Jewish path
without Christ and the path with the Christ, whom Christians believe is Jesus
of Nazareth, would in fact endanger the foundations of Christian faith."
The
document further talks of a "highly complex theological question" in
how "Christian belief in the universal salvific significance of Jesus
Christ can be combined in a coherent way with the equally clear statement of
faith in the never-revoked covenant of God with Israel."
The
Vatican also says that conversion outreach efforts by Christians toward Jewish
people are a "very delicate and sensitive matter."
It
says that it "neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional
mission work directed toward Jews," but at the same time notes that
Christians are "called to bear witness to their faith in Jesus Christ also
to Jews."
The
text concludes by stating that Jews and Christians come together through
"humanitarian aid for justice and peace in the world" in which they
"bear witness to the loving care of God."
"No
longer in confrontational opposition but cooperating side by side, Jews and
Christians should seek to strive for a better world," it states, adding
the words of Pope John Paul II from November 1980, when the pontiff said that
Jews and Christians must commit themselves together for peace for all people,
"with the fullness and depth that God Himself intended us to have, and
with the readiness for sacrifices that this goal may demand."
Israeli
news site Arutz Sheva said
that Catholic-Jewish relations have been improved under Pope Francis, who once
jointly published a book on ethics, morality and faith with his long-standing
friend and Argentinian Rabbi Abraham Skorka.
Francis
is also to become the third pope in history to visit Rome's main synagogue on
Jan. 17, 2016.
Back
in September, Francis greeted the Jewish community around the world on Yom
Kippur, the Day of Atonement on the Hebrew calendar.
"I
would like to send my greetings to the Hebrew community, to our Jewish
brothers, for whom today is a sacred day, Yom Kippur," Francis said during a
visit to Washington D.C. "I hope the Lord brings down his blessing of
peace and will keep in life and holiness, according to the Word of the Lord we
have heard today: Be Holy, for I am Holy," he added.
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