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The Irreversible Progress Made in Catholic-Jewish Relations By Msgr. George G. Higgins The Yardstick May 21, 2001     During Vatican Council II, as a consultant to the council, I followed the debate about Catholic-Jewish relations closely day by day and was greatly relieved when the historic document on this subject, “Nostra Aetate,” finally was adopted by an overwhelming vote after a nerve-wracking series of fits and starts. Immediately following the council it fell to my lot, almost by accident, to serve temporarily as a part-time assistant to the bishops' committee charged with implementing “Nostra Aetate” in the United States. My overriding concern was to find the most competent expert available to staff the committee full time.     In short order we found the perfect man for the job: Father Edward Flannery of Providence, R.I. The author of a path-breaking book, “The Anguish of the Jews,” Father Flannery universally was regarded as the leading U.S. Catholic expert on Catholic-Jewish relations and was revered as such across the board in the Jewish community.     Father Flannery, now deceased, quickly got the bishops' committee off to an excellent start and, upon his retirement, was replaced by an equally qualified expert, Eugene Fisher, a layman with an advanced degree in Jewish studies and considerable hands-on experience in implementing “Nostra Aetate” at the local level. Fisher, thankfully, still is serving with great distinction in that post and also as a member of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews. In this double capacity he has traveled frequently to Israel, Poland and other countries. He has played a leading role in all the many national and international Catholic-Jewish meetings held since Vatican II.     Fisher also has published a number of significant articles and books on the theology of Catholic-Jewish relations and has developed a network of expert collaborators in every major U.S. diocese. In my judgment, Fisher may well be the best-informed and most influential expert on Catholic-Jewish relations in the church universal.     At a recent international Catholic-Jewish conference in New York I publicly recalled this bit of history to suggest to our Jewish counterparts that the best way to judge the U.S. bishops' commitment to the cause of Catholic-Jewish relations is to look at the caliber of people they have appointed to serve as their top staff representatives in implementing the letter and spirit of “Nostra Aetate.” Moreover, I added, as further evidence of the bishops' commitment, they consistently have selected highly qualified bishops from within their own ranks to serve as episcopal moderators of their committee on Catholic-Jewish relations.     The current moderator, Baltimore's Cardinal William Keeler, is surely one of the best-informed bishops in the world on this subject and is a beloved figure in the Jewish community. The same can be said about his immediate predecessor, the late Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, who was posthumously honored by the Jewish participants in the above-mentioned conference.     It should be noted that the Vatican too has consistently selected highly qualified bishops and staff persons to head the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews. The late, great Cardinal Augustin Bea, who was chiefly responsible for developing “Nostra Aetate,” was a providential giant in Catholic-Jewish relations. His successors, the retired Cardinal Johannes Willebrands of Holland, Australian-born Cardinal Edward Cassidy and the recently appointed Cardinal Walter Kasper of Germany, all have proven worthy successors of Cardinal Bea and are held in the highest esteem in the worldwide Jewish community.     My purpose in putting these historical notes on the record is to emphasize that, despite occasional blips and setbacks, irreversible progress has been made in the field of Catholic-Jewish relations and, as the New York conference demonstrated, even greater progress is in the offing. Papal Social Encyclicals Other Catholic Social Teachings General Articles of Interest Catholic Worker Connection Msgr. George Higgins Home Page E-Mail: Fr. Sinclair Oubre