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A JOURNEY OF HOPE
Sixty Years of Interreligious Dialogue and Fraternity
in the Light of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate (translated – In Our Time)
Over the following sixty years, there has been enrichment by successive Popes.
Pope Leo‘s contribution (according to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith) is as follows:
33. In his first address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See in 2025,
Pope Leo XIV recalled the three key words that must accompany every form of dialogue: peace, justice, and truth.
Then, later that same year, following in the footsteps of his predecessors, the Holy Father commemorated the sixtieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate, affirming that, through this conciliar document, “a seed of hope for interreligious dialogue was planted.”
The Pontiff also recalled that there have been martyrs of dialogue who gave their lives in opposing violence and hatred.
Furthermore, he emphasized that “we can lead our people to become prophets of our time — voices that denounce violence and injustice, heal division, and proclaim peace for all our brothers and sisters.”
At the General Audience of 29 October 2025, dedicated to Nostra Aetate, the Holy Father reaffirmed: “This luminous Document teaches us to meet the followers of other religions not as outsiders, but as travelling companions on the path of truth; to honor differences, affirming our common humanity; and to discern, in every sincere religious search, a reflection of the one divine Mystery that embraces all creation.”
34. In his first address to representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities and of other religions, on 19 May 2025, Pope Leo XIV summarized the core of Jewish-Christian dialogue and also underscored the importance of theological dialogue: “Because of the Jewish roots of Christianity, all Christians have a special relationship with Judaism. The conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate (par. 4) emphasizes the greatness of the spiritual heritage shared by Christians and Jews, encouraging mutual knowledge and esteem.
The theological dialogue between Christians and Jews remains ever important and close to my heart. Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue the momentum of this precious dialogue of ours.”
Christians and Jews, unable to do without one another, should continue to walk this path together until the end of time on earth.
Together, they should await that day “known to God alone, on which all peoples will address the Lord in a single voice and ‘serve him shoulder to shoulder’ (Zeph 3:9).”
35. The theme of dialogue with the various religions, to be promoted and cultivated, is also clearly reaffirmed in a Joint Declaration with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of 29 November 2025:
“We reject any use of religion and the name of God to justify violence.
We believe that authentic interreligious dialogue, far from being a cause of syncretism and confusion, is essential for the coexistence of peoples of different traditions and cultures.
Mindful of the 60th anniversary of the Declaration Nostra Aetate we exhort all men and women of good will to work together to build a more just and supportive world, and to care for creation, which is entrusted to us by God.
Only in this way can the human family overcome indifference, desire for domination, greed for profit, and xenophobia.”
Seen in this light, the dialogue that unfolds in the wake of Nostra Aetate is not merely a theoretical exercise but a shared ethical and spiritual commitment, directed toward peace, justice, and the care of our common home.
36. Especially in the current international context, scarred by so many wars that cause numerous deaths and situations of immense and unjust suffering each day,
Pope Leo XIV has sought to reaffirm the decisive role of interreligious dialogue in rejecting the logic of violence:
“Those who use the name of God to legitimize terrorism, violence or war betray his true nature, for to fight in the name of religion means attacking religion itself.
The ‘spirit of Assisi,’ evoked by Saint John Paul II and carried forward by Pope Francis—for example, through his dialogue with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar—shows that believers can draw upon the most authentic sources of their particular spiritual traditions, where there is no room for ‘sanctified hatred.’”
