A retrospective reading of the 60 years since the promulgation of the Nostra Aetate Declaration (October 1965) confirms that it represented a profound turning point in the way the Catholic Church relates to the Jewish people. In its paragraph 4, the Declaration breaks with the theological logic of supersessionism—the idea that the Church had replaced Israel as the chosen people—by affirming that the Jews “remain beloved by God,” whose covenant is irrevocable (cf. Rom 11:28–29).

This affirmation introduced a paradigm shift: the Church recognizes the permanent validity of Israel’s election and, therefore, its continuing theological relevance. Thus, Nostra Aetate (no. 4) inaugurated a new way of thinking about the Church in relation to Judaism, exhorting Catholics to adopt a new Christian attitude towards the Jewish people and Judaism.

Furthermore, considering Israel as an active theological subject implies recognizing the validity of its religious tradition, its worship, its ethics, and its ongoing interpretation of the Scriptures. Mutual listening between Jews and Christians therefore occurs not only on a socio-cultural or diplomatic level, but at the heart of the very experience of faith.

As the Church teaches: “This interest in Judaism in Catholic teaching is not based solely on historical or archaeological foundations, but must also take into account the faith and religious life of the Jewish people as it is practiced today…”(Notes for a correct presentation of Jews and Judaism in the preaching and catechesis of the Catholic Church, May 1985).