Bishops Say No to Evangelizing Jews

Associated Press/August 14, 2002

New York -- America's Roman Catholic bishops and leaders of Reform and Conservative Judaism have issued a joint statement affirming that Jews should not be targeted for conversion to Christianity.

The bishops have made similar declarations in the past and the international church has largely dropped the practice of evangelizing Jews. This latest document, ``Reflections on Covenant and Mission,'' grew from more than two decades of biannual meetings between the U.S. religious leaders.

"While the Catholic church regards the saving act of Christ as central to the process of human salvation for all, it also acknowledges that Jews already dwell in a saving covenant with God,'' the document reads. "Jews are also called by God to prepare the world for God's kingdom.''

Participants in the ongoing dialogue are the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the National Council of Synagogues. That group represents the Reform movement's Central Conference of American Rabbis and Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Conservative movement's United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism.