In Rome, many events are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the landmark Second Vatican Council declaration \u201cNostra Aetate\u201d (In Our Time). \u201cNostra Aetate\u201d significantly changed the Catholic Church’s relationship with non-Christian Religions, especially Judaism in the wake of the Holocaust. In these days of interfaith dialogue and debate, the Jewish world has been playing an active role. The Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, participated in the opening session of the \u201cDare to Peace\u201d (“Osare la pace”) forum, organized by the Community of Sant\u2019Egidio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, the President of the Conference of European Rabbis, said that \u201cpeace requires the firm touch of a surgeon\u201d and \u201cthe patient pen of a poet.\u201d Peace also needs \u201cthe wisdom to see the other\u2019s face not as an enemy, but as a traveling companion in the vast garden of God.\u201d He noted that \u201cKing Solomon did not only build stone walls,\u201d but also filled \u201cthe abysses of the spirit.\u201d He concluded that his story teaches us that \u201cit is easy to make enemies,\u201d but that a king \u201cwith the heart of a child and the mind of a sage\u201d is needed to build peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u201cNostra Aetate\u201d anniversary was also celebrated in the Senate, with a conference organized by Senator Lucio Malan (People of Freedom Party). Lucilla Efrati, responsible for the UCEI communication, highlighted that \u201cNostra Aetate was not merely a formal gesture or a diplomatic concession. It was instead the opening of a new season of listening, respect, collaboration: a commitment that was translated in concrete acts.\u201d Finally, Luigi Salvia, president of Religions for Peace\/Italy indicated a way to sow peace in such difficult times. \u201cIn a time of darkness, it is not only obscurity that exists; something important can also be born. Within any dark, a light can emerge.\u201d The interfaith meetings continue throughout the week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"