Nostra Aetate, the 1965 Declaration on the Church's Relationship to Non-Christian Religions was one of the most influential and celebrated documents issued by the Second Vatican Council, a gathering of the world's Catholic bishops. In particular it made possible a new and positive relationship between Jews and Catholics. This page provides primary source documents and educational materials to assist in the observance of the fiftieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate in 2015. Thanks to Victoria Barnett, John Connelly, and Murray Watson for their assistance with certain items.

Preconciliar Texts

Texts from the period when the Christian cultural and religious view prevailed that Jews were destined to suffer or live on the margins of society because of their rejection of Jesus Christ.

1.	Theodor Herzl: Audience with Pope Pius X	Jan 16, 1904	Theodor Herzl
2.	Encyclical "Mit Brenneder Sorge"	Mar 14, 1937	Pope Pius XI
3.	"Spiritually, we are Semites"	Sept 6, 1938	Pope Pius XI
4.	Draft Encyclical: "Humani Generis Unitas"	1938	Gustave Desbuquois, Gustav Gundlach, John LaFarge

Precursors

Texts reflecting post-Shoah efforts to overcome theological anti-Judaism. Many concepts in these materials were taken up in Nostra Aetate.

1.	An Address to the Churches (The Ten Points of Seelisberg)	Aug 1947	International Council of Christians and Jews
2.	The Rectification Necessary in Christian Teaching: Eighteen Points	Apr 1948	Jules Isaac
3.	The Schwalbach Theses: Proposals for Christian Religious Teaching	May 1950	German Coordinating Council of Societies for Christian-Jewish Cooperation
4.	Theses for Evanston	Aug 1954	Karl Thieme
5.	Rejecting Antisemitism	Apr 24, 1960	Faculty of the Pontifical Biblical Institute
6.	Recommendations from the Institute for Judaeo-Christian Studies, Seton Hall University	June 8, 1960	John M. Oesterriecher, et al.
7.	Notes about a crucial meeting with John XXIII	June 13, 1960	Jules Isaac
8.	Second Apeldoorn International Study Conference on Christian-Jewish Relations	Sept 1960	Willehad Eckert, O.P.
9.	John XXIII: "I am Joseph, your brother."	Oct 19, 1960	L'Osservatore Romano
10.	The Image of Jews in Catholic Teaching	June 22, 1961	AJC: Judith Hershcopf Banki
11.	Anti-Jewish Elements in Catholic Liturgy	Nov 17, 1961	AJC: Eric Werner
12.	Resolution on Anti-Semitism	Nov 1961	Third Assembly, World Council of Churches
13.	On Improving Catholic-Jewish Relations	May 22, 1962	AJC: Abraham Joshua Heschel

Composition Process

Drafts and speeches that chart the development of what began as a statement only on Jews and Judaism to a declaration on all the world's religions.

1.	Decree on the Jews (Decretum de Iudaeis)	Nov 1961	Secretariat for Christian Unity
2.	On the Attitude of Catholics Toward Non-Christians and Especially Toward Jews	Nov 1963	Secretariat for Christian Unity
3.	Address to "the People of the Covenant"	Jan 5, 1964	Pope Paul VI
4.	Address to the General Chapter of the Sisters of Sion	Jan 15, 1964	Augustin Cardinal Bea
5.	Appendix 'On the Jews' to the "Declaration on Ecumenism"	Mar 1964	Secretariat for Christian Unity
6.	On the Jews and Non-Christians	Sept 1964	Second Vatican Council Coordinating Commission
7.	Report on the Statement "On Jews and Non-Christians"	Sept 25, 1964	Augustin Cardinal Bea
8.	The Council's Deliberations (1)	Sept 28, 1964	Council Fathers
9.	The Council's Deliberations (2)	Sept 29, 1964	Council Fathers
10.	The Council's Deliberations (3)	Sept 29, 1964	Council Fathers
11.	Draft of the "Declaration on the Church's Relationship to Non-Christian Religions"	Nov 18, 1964	Council Fathers
12.	Amendments to Section 4	Mar 1965	Secretariat for Christian Unity

Official Conciliar and Postconciliar Texts

The final form of Nostra Aetate, a relevant excerpt from Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, and implementing documents of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and the Vatican Secretariat of State.

1.	Nostra Aetate: Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions: Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions	Oct 28, 1965	Second Vatican Council
2.	Lumen Gentium: Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (excerpt): Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (excerpt)	Nov 1964	Second Vatican Council
3.	Guidelines and Suggestions for Implementing the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate, No. 4	Jan 1974	Commission for Religious Relations with Jews
4.	Notes on the Correct Way to Present Jews and Judaism in Preaching and Catechesis in the Roman Catholic Church	June 1985	Commission for Religious Relations with Jews
5.	We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah	Mar 16, 1998	Commission for Religious Relations with Jews
6.	Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel	Dec 30, 1993	Secretariat of State of the Holy See and the State of Israel
7.	"The Gifts and the Calling of God Are Irrevocable" (Rom 11:29): A Relfection on Theological Questions Pertaining to Catholic-Jewish Relations on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Nostra Aetate (No. 4)	Dec 10, 2015	Commission for Religious Relations with Jews

Papal Texts

Links to relevant writings of the post-conciliar popes.

1.	Pope Paul VI	1963-1978
2.	Pope John Paul II	1978-2005
3.	Pope Benedict XVI	2005-2013
4.	Pope Francis	2013-

50th Anniversary Statements

Documents issued in honor of the golden anniversary of Nostra Aetate

1.	Celebrating and Deepening the New Christian-Jewish Relationship	June 30, 2015	International Council of Christians and Jews
2.	A Church in Dialogue: The Catholic Church and Interreligious Dialogue	Aug 31, 2015	Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
3.	Nostra Aetate: Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions 50th Anniversary	Oct 26, 2015	Bishops Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
4.	"'...in our time...' A statement on relations between the Presbytery of Chicago and the Jewish community in metropolitan Chicago"	Nov 21, 2015	Presbytery of Chicago, Presbyterian Church - USA
5.	"Declaration for the Upcoming Jubilee of Brotherhood: A New Jewish View of Jewish-Christian Relations"	Nov 23, 2015	French Jewish Leaders
6.	"To Do the Will of Our Father in Heaven: Toward a Partnership between Jews and Christians"	Dec 3, 2015	Orthodox Jewish Leaders
7.	"Between Jerusalem and Rome: The Shared Universal and the Respected Particular – Reflections on 50 Years of Nostra Aetate"	March 2016	Conference of European Rabbis and Rabbinical Council of America

Resources for the 60th Anniversary of Nostra Aetate in 2025