Is There Reason for Hope?
Is There Reason for Hope?
The Second Vatican Council and Catholic Interreligious Relations
Two major Council Declarations, on non-Christian religions (Nostra Aetate) and on religious freedom (Dignitatis Humanae), set the stage for a radically different view of non-Christian religious traditions, based on the acceptance of human conscience as one’s ultimate moral guide and on a respectful attitude toward other religions. The same broader mentality shift, first toward Judaism and then toward other religions, is reflected in other documents as well. After chronicling the events leading up to the momentous decisions, the essay surveys the postconciliar history, pointing both to the huge achievements in this regard and to shortcomings and remaining weaknesses that need to be addressed. Here again, the first statements and actions of Pope Francis raise high hopes for positive follow-up decisions and processes.
Keywords: Catholic interreligious relations, Religious freedom, Freedom of conscience, Catholic response to the Holocaust, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Jules Isaac, Nostra Aetate, Dignitatis Humanae
North Carolina Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .
