Pope Leo XIV Urges Catholics and Jews to Reject Religious and Ethnic Hatred

Pope Leo XIV has called on Catholics and Jews to work together to defend human dignity, protect religious freedom and reject religious and ethnic hatred, telling a delegation of the American Jewish Committee that their shared commitment to fraternity is essential to building peace, Vatican News reported.

Addressing members of the committee’s Board of Governors at the Vatican on October 22, the pope highlighted the importance of sustained dialogue and cooperation between Jewish and Catholic communities, particularly in a world marked by violence and mistrust.

“Rooted in our shared spiritual heritage, this friendship also calls us to defend human dignity, serve the poor, protect religious freedom and promote justice and peace,” he said.

Pope Leo welcomed the delegation on the feast of St. John Paul II, recalling his predecessor’s significant contribution to strengthening relations between Jews and Catholics.

Referring to St. John Paul II’s 1995 address to the American Jewish Committee’s Board of Governors, the pope recalled his observation that “dialogue between Christians and Jews must find eloquent expression in the life of both our communities.”

Pope Leo said those words remain relevant today, as demonstrated by the committee’s longstanding commitment to dialogue and cooperation with the Catholic Church.

He thanked those working to build relationships between the two communities through sincerity and mutual respect, emphasizing that their shared spiritual heritage carries responsibilities beyond dialogue.

“Essential to this commitment,” he said, “is the rejection of all forms of religious and ethnic hatred and discrimination.”

The pope also recalled the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra aetate, whose 60th anniversary was marked in 2025. The declaration reshaped the Catholic Church’s approach to relations with non-Christian religions, including Judaism.

Pope Leo reaffirmed the Church’s opposition to antisemitism, saying that the Church “does not tolerate anti-Semitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself.”

He cautioned that disagreements, even when profound, must not lead to prejudice or hostility.

“Differences of opinion, however profound, must never give rise to prejudice and hostility, which undermine the moral foundations of society,” he said.

In a world wounded by violence and mistrust, the pope described the commitment to fraternity as especially urgent.

He concluded by urging Catholics and Jews to demonstrate their friendship through concrete actions, expressing hope that their shared witness would contribute to a more peaceful world desired by people of goodwill.

The American Jewish Committee is an international Jewish advocacy organization that works to combat antisemitism, strengthen Jewish life and promote interreligious understanding. Catholic-Jewish dialogue has developed significantly since the Second Vatican Council’s Nostra aetate, which rejected antisemitism and encouraged mutual understanding and respect between Catholics and Jews.