TULLY

Catholic chancelor discusses ties with Jewish community

By Polina Olsen

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Did they go to school on Yom Kippur or the Feast of Immaculate Conception? When Mary Jo Tully grew up in a Jewish Neighborhood of Chicago, this question rather than religion separated her playmates.

Now Chancellor of the Portland Catholic Archdiocese, Tully remains deeply involved with Catholic-Jewish dialogue.

Her March 13 luncheon-lecture held at Congregation Beth Israel’s Goodman Hall highlighted the developments of the interfaith relationship over the century as well as the continued challenges.

Forty people of both faiths met for the American Jewish Committee sponsored event titled “Catholic-Jewish Relations in the New Millennium.” The host, Rabbi Michael Cahana, introduced the speaker.

Author of more than 20 books on Catholic spirituality, Tully has taught at the university level and writes a column for the Catholic Sentinel newspaper. An executive officer for the Archbishop, Tully was the first lay woman ever appointed to an archdiocese.

The Catholic-Jewish relationship grows through formal communication and informal personal relationships, Tully explained. Each channel influences the other. Formal communication involves theologians and official documents. Informal relationships involve ordinary people. “Hope for Catholic-Jewish dialog is on the local level,” Tully said, adding this “is more personal and consistent in Portland than in other places around the country.”

Formal theological discussion after WWII led to the landmark document Nostra Aetate during the 1965 Second Ecumenical Council (Vatican II). The document, which transformed the Catholic-Jewish relationship, proclaimed Jews were not responsible for the death of Christ. Two additional Vatican documents built on and strengthened Nostra Aetate–—the 1974 “Guidelines for the Implementation of Nostra Aetate” and the 1985 “Notes for the Correct Presentation of Jews and Judaism in Catholic Preaching and Catechetics.”

As dialog and documentation continued, major themes emerged, Tully explained. First, along with a condemnation of anti-Semitism came recognition that some past Catholic practices contributed to it. Second, the Church recognized that Judaism is part of its existence and accepted the dual covenant—“G-d’s promises to the Jewish community, and his promises to us through Jesus.” Third, the church now believes that Jewish scripture beyond the Second Temple should be incorporated in its own teaching.

Tully also shared concerns. “Jews and Catholics often misunderstand one another,” she said. “The Catholic community needs a greater understanding and appreciation for its own Jewish heritage—and the Jewish community needs a deeper appreciation of the actual beliefs and attitudes of modern Catholics.” Tully cautioned how language creates confusion when the same words have different meanings—“we both use the word redemption and messiah.” And, the spotlight that the media shines on church leadership too often results in out-of-context quotes which fuel tension.

Tully emphasized the importance of personal intercultural relationships. “On the international level, Jewish trust of the Vatican and Catholic faith in the Jews can be fragile. It’s different on the neighbor-to-neighbor level,” she said. “ It takes a long time to hear what officials say and a longer time for it to hit our hearts. Like politics, all religious dialogue is really local.”