(OSV News) Gina Christian - A new study of "American Catholic Attitudes toward Jews, Judaism, and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" by the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations (IJCR) at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia was unveiled on March 22, 2023. Of the 1,241 U.S. Catholics surveyed, 54.2% had "good" or "very good" overall opinions of Jews. Another 41.5% described themselves as either "neutral" or uncertain, and 4.3% said they had "poor" or "very poor" opinions. Catholics supported Israel (34.8%) over the Palestinians (13.4%). 36% said Jews "enjoy a special relationship with God, " while 42% said God's covenant with the Jews remains intact. The Second Vatican Council in 1965 issued the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions, the Catholic Church's first formal denunciation of "hatred, persecutions, displays of antisemitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone." That language marked a seismic shift from centuries of teaching contempt toward the Jewish community by numerous Catholic and Christian theologians.
2023-03-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive