Pope Leo XIV marks 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, condemns anti-Semitism, urges faiths to unite on AI ethics, climate, and peace in historic Vatican address.
Newsroom (29/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) St. Peter’s Square packed with an estimated 25,000 faithful, pilgrims, and interfaith dignitaries, Pope Leo XIV delivered a comprehensive catechesis Wednesday morning marking the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s groundbreaking Declaration Nostra Aetate. The address, part of an ongoing cycle on interreligious dialogue, blended scriptural exegesis, historical reflection, doctrinal reaffirmation, and urgent contemporary appeals, positioning the 1965 document as a living charter for global religious cooperation.
The pontiff began with a warm multilingual greeting: “Dear brothers and sisters, pilgrims in faith and representatives of the various religious traditions! Good morning, welcome!” He then pivoted to the Gospel of John, chapter 4, verse 24—Jesus’ declaration to the Samaritan woman: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
“This encounter reveals the essence of authentic religious dialogue,” Leo XIV explained, his voice amplified across the piazza. “An exchange that is established when people open up to one another with sincerity, attentive listening, and mutual enrichment.” He described the scene at Jacob’s well in Sychar as a paradigm: Jesus, a Jewish man, engaging a Samaritan woman across divides of ethnicity, gender, and worship practices. “It is a dialogue that arose from thirst: God’s thirst for the human heart, and the human thirst for God.”
The pope underscored how Christ transcended territorial claims—“neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem”—to reveal worship “in Spirit and truth.” This, he said, “captures the very core of interreligious dialogue itself: the discovery of God’s presence beyond all boundaries and the invitation to seek him together with reverence and humility.”
Nostra Aetate as Watershed
Turning to history, Leo XIV hailed the promulgation of Nostra Aetate on October 28, 1965, by Pope Paul VI as opening “a new horizon of encounter, respect, and spiritual hospitality.” The four-page document, he noted, was the Council’s shortest but arguably most revolutionary, shifting Catholic teaching from supersessionism to solidarity.
“This luminous Document teaches us to meet the followers of other religions not as outsiders, but as travelling companions on the path of truth,” he said, citing its call to “honour differences” while affirming “our common humanity” and discerning “in every sincere religious search, a reflection of the one divine Mystery that embraces all creation.”
Unprecedented Focus on Judaism
The pontiff devoted significant attention to Nostra Aetate’s paragraph 4, which he described as “the first focus” of the text and a direct fruit of St. John XXIII’s desire to “re-establish the original relationship” with Judaism. Quoting extensively, he recited: “A bond… spiritually ties the people of the New Covenant to Abraham’s stock. Thus the Church of Christ acknowledges that, according to God’s saving design, the beginnings of her faith and her election are found already among the Patriarchs, Moses, and the prophets.”
For the first time in conciliar history, the Church produced “a doctrinal treatise on the Jewish roots of Christianity,” Leo XIV said—a “point of no return” on biblical and theological levels. He then reaffirmed the declaration’s condemnation of anti-Semitism: “The Church… decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.”
“All my predecessors have condemned anti-Semitism with clear words,” he continued. “And so I too confirm that the Church does not tolerate anti-Semitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself.” The statement drew sustained applause, particularly from Jewish leaders seated in the front rows beneath the papal dais.
Six Decades of Progress—and Persistence
Reviewing 60 years of Jewish-Catholic dialogue, Leo XIV expressed gratitude for milestones including joint theological commissions, papal visits to synagogues, and the 1993 Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and Israel. “This is due not only to human effort, but to the assistance of our God who, according to Christian conviction, is dialogue itself,” he said.
Yet he acknowledged setbacks: “We cannot deny that there have been misunderstandings, difficulties, and conflicts.” Referencing the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and rising global anti-Semitic incidents, he warned: “Even today, we must not allow political circumstances and the injustices of some to divert us from friendship, especially since we have achieved so much so far.”
Broader Interfaith Mandate
Extending Nostra Aetate’s spirit, the pope affirmed that “all religions can reflect ‘a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men’” (NA 2) and address “the great mysteries of human existence.” Dialogue, he insisted, “must never be solely intellectual, but profoundly spiritual.”
He issued a direct charge to the Church: “The Declaration invites all Catholics—bishops, clergy, consecrated persons, and lay faithful—to involve themselves sincerely in dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, recognizing and promoting all that is good, true, and holy in their traditions.” In an era of mass migration, he added, “this is necessary today in practically every city where… our spiritual and cultural differences are called to encounter one another and to live together fraternally.”
Shared Global Agenda
In a forward-leaning section, Leo XIV outlined concrete areas for joint action:
- Humanitarian Service: “Each one of our religions can contribute to alleviating human suffering and taking care of our common home, our planet Earth.”
- Countering Extremism: “We must be vigilant against the abuse of the name of God, of religion, and of dialogue itself, as well as against the dangers posed by religious fundamentalism and extremism.”
- Artificial Intelligence: In his most innovative intervention, the pope warned that AI, “if conceived as an alternative to humans, can gravely violate their infinite dignity and neutralize their fundamental responsibilities.” He called on religious traditions to “inspire [AI’s] regulation, to protect fundamental human rights” and ensure its “humanization.”
- Peacebuilding: “Our respective traditions teach truth, compassion, reconciliation, justice, and peace. We must reaffirm service to humanity, at all times.”
“Peace begins in the human heart,” he said, quoting Nostra Aetate’s post-Holocaust hope as a template for today’s crises. “Let us collaborate, because if we are united, everything is possible.”
Hurricane Appeal
Immediately following the catechesis, Leo XIV issued a poignant appeal for victims of Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that struck Jamaica last week and is now ravaging Cuba.
“Thousands of people have been displaced, while homes, infrastructure, and several hospitals have been damaged,” he said. “I assure everyone of my closeness, praying for those who have lost their lives, for those who are fleeing, and for those populations… experiencing hours of anxiety and concern.” He urged civil authorities to act decisively and thanked “Christian communities, together with voluntary organizations,” for relief work.
Multilingual Greetings and Silent Prayer
In customary fashion, the pope extended greetings in multiple languages. To English-speakers from England, Ireland, Scandinavia, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and North America, he said: “May God… pour into our hearts a spirit of fraternal love that we may recognize the imprint of God’s goodness and beauty in every human being.”
He reserved special gratitude for “leaders and representatives of non-Christian religions,” many wearing traditional attire—Sikh turbans, Buddhist robes, Islamic skullcaps—visible among the VIP section.
The audience concluded with a minute of silence: “Prayer has the power to transform our attitudes, our thoughts, our words, and our actions,” the pope intoned before the Angelus bells rang at noon.
Context and Legacy
Analysts described the address as Leo XIV’s most systematic treatment of interfaith relations since his 2023 Abu Dhabi-inspired document Fratelli Tutti. By weaving Nostra Aetate into contemporary challenges—AI ethics, climate, migration—the pontiff signaled that the Council’s vision remains dynamic.
Rabbi David Rosen, international director of interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee and present at the audience, praised the speech: “Pope Leo has reaffirmed the unbreakable spiritual bond and added moral urgency for our times.”
The catechesis concluded with the official Vatican summary distributed in eight languages, encapsulating the pope’s core message: “May we never lose hope that a new world without division is possible.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from vatican.va
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