Pope warns Middle East wars are straining Jewish-Christian relations
Vatican says communication between the two faiths has come under pressure but insists decades of dialogue remain intact
Pope Leo XIV has warned that conflicts in the Middle East are putting relations between Jews and Christians under growing strain, while reaffirming the Catholic Church’s commitment to fighting antisemitism.
A new Vatican document approved by the Pope says recent violence in the region has tested ties between the two faiths and placed some channels of communication under pressure.
“The conflicts that have erupted in the Middle East in recent years have also left their mark on Jewish-Christian dialogue,” it says.
The document adds: “Many channels of communication have been strained and continue to be tested by different interpretations of the events that have unfolded, interpretations that are often not unanimous even within the respective religious communities.”
Despite those tensions, the Vatican said the relationship built between Jews and Catholics over the past six decades had proved resilient.
“Nevertheless, the pillars of dialogue among believers, built over 60 years of common effort, have remained firm.”
The document, A Journey of Hope, was produced by three Vatican departments and approved by Pope Leo. It marks 60 years since Nostra Aetate, the landmark declaration that transformed the Catholic Church’s relationship with Jews and other faiths.
Published in 1965 in the aftermath of the Shoah, Nostra Aetate rejected antisemitism and acknowledged Christianity’s Jewish roots.
The new document describes solidarity with Jewish people as including a “shared struggle against antisemitism” and repeats the Church’s condemnation of hatred and persecution directed against Jews.
It also says Jewish-Christian dialogue is not a secondary concern for Catholics, pointing to the shared religious heritage of the two faiths and the Jewish roots of Christianity.
The Vatican document also condemns Islamophobia, warning against failing to distinguish acts of extremist violence from the lives of Muslims more broadly.
Pope Leo has previously stressed the importance of preserving Jewish-Christian dialogue during periods of political tension. In remarks cited in the new document, he said last year: “Even in these difficult times, marked by conflicts and misunderstandings, it is necessary to continue with momentum this precious dialogue.”