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Nostra Aetate at 60: A resource guide

Nostra Aetate transformed the Catholic Church’s approach to non-Christian religions

In 2025, the global Catholic and interreligious communities will commemorate the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate (In Our Time)—the groundbreaking declaration of the Second Vatican Council issued on October 28, 1965. It stands as a transformative milestone, inviting the Church into a new era of openness, dialogue, and mutual respect with Jewish, Muslim, and other faith communities. Nostra Aetate marked a radical shift—rejecting centuries of indifference or outright anti-Judaism, affirming the enduring covenant with the Jewish people, and affirming that the Catholic Church “rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions.”

Over the past six decades, Nostra Aetate has shaped theological reflection, ecumenical outreach, and grassroots interfaith initiatives worldwide—serving as both foundation and inspiration for ICJS’s mission: to advance interreligious dialogue while disarming prejudice and building bridges across faiths.

This anniversary offers a vital opportunity to celebrate the far-reaching fruits of Nostra Aetate—from theological breakthroughs to local acts of friendship and solidarity—while also renewing our commitment to dialogue in a world marked by rising tensions and mutual misunderstandings.

 

Photo: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel with Cardinal Augustine Bea. They were both instrumental to the drafting of “Nostra Aetate.” Image via American Jewish Committee.

The Text

Key points in Nostra Aetate:

  • Shared Humanity: Nostra Aetate calls all people to unity and fellowship, urging us to face life’s deepest questions together.

  • Respect for Faiths: It recognizes truth and holiness in other religions—honoring Hinduism and Buddhism, praising Islam’s devotion to God, and renewing ties with Judaism by affirming God’s covenant and rejecting antisemitism.

  • Rejection of Hatred: It condemns all forms of discrimination, calling the world to replace prejudice with understanding and peace.

Read Nostra Aetate

Resource: On Being Interreligious and Roman Catholic

Over the last six decades, the Roman Catholic Church has been a global leader in interfaith dialogue. This web page collects selected highlights of teachings and guidance Church has created for this important work.

View the Resources

Interreligious Panel on Nostra Aetate at 60

In this interreligious panel, ICJS Executive Director Heather Miller Rubens, Ph.D., spoke with Rabbi Katja Vehlow, Ph.D., Director of Jewish Life at Fordham University, and Syed Atif Rizwan, Ph.D., Director of the Catholic-Muslim Studies Program at Catholic Theological Union, on why Nostra Aetate was important when it was written, how it has shaped interreligious studies, and why it still matters today.

Watch Event Video

Nostra Aetate offers hope, but does not and should not erase the painful parts of our shared history.

Zeyneb Sayilgan, Muslim scholar

From “A Muslim reflects on ‘Nostra Aetate’ and its enduring call to mutual understanding”

Read Article in the National Catholic Reporter

Media Coverage

60 years after Vatican II document on non-Christian relations, panelists say work to implement it continues

Coverage by the Catholic Review of the Archdiocese of Baltimore of the ICJS interreligious panel discussion on Nostra Aetate at 60: Celebrating six decades of Catholic engagement with Jews & Muslims.

Read More

A Path for Stronger Christian and Jewish Bonds

Coverage in Fordham Now of the lecture by Susannah Heschel, The Faith of Others: The Inspiration of Interreligious Dialogue in Light of Nostra Aetate. Heather Miller Rubens, Ph.D., served as resondent.

Read more

Events with ICJS Scholars

The Faith of Others: The Inspiration of Interreligious Dialogue in Light of Nostra Aetate | with Heather Miller Rubens, Ph.D.

Heather Miller Rubens, ICJS executive director and Roman Catholic Scholar, served as respondent to the lecture delivered by Susannah Heschel. Dr. Heschel of Dartmouth College  recounted personal memories of her father, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, and his role in the formation of Nostra Aetate.