The new document came from the Vatican’s newly formed Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and was signed by Cardinal Jan Willebrands, president of the new commission. The document was dated Dec. 1 but not released publicly until Jan. 3. It was released in English in the United Stated by the National Catholic Office for Information in Washington, D. C.
The new statement is intended primarily to set practical guidelines for Christian-Jewish relations. It calls for:
— Careful attention in the liturgy to the common elements of Christian and Jewish liturgy, to unprejudiced and sensitive interpretation of biblical passages that have been interpreted in the past as unfavorable to the Jews, and to careful translation of liturgical «phrases and passaged which Christians, if not well informed, might misunderstand because of prejudice».
