Pope Francis on Wednesday decried anti-Semitism and praised the progress Christianity has made in its relations with Judaism and Islam since the ground-breaking Second Vatican Council half a century ago.
"The way traced out by the Vatican II text is: 'Yes' to the rediscovery of the Jewish roots of Christianity; and 'No' to all forms of anti-Semitism, and a condemnation of all insults, discrimination and persecution that stem from it," Francis said.
He was speaking to leaders from several faiths who attended his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square.
The Second Vatican Council's Nostra Aetate(In Our Time) declaration, adopted by Pope Paul VI on 28 October, 1965, was credited with revolutionising Catholic relations with Judaism.
Nostra Aetate repudiated the centuries-old charge that all Jews should be held responsible for the death of Jesus, and urged bridge-building with all other faiths.
The "mutual awareness, respect and esteem" on which the improved Christian-Jewish relations are founded "are worth just as much for relations with other religions. I think in particular for Muslims," Francis said.
"As we look to the future of interreligous dialogue, let us pray that, in accordance with God’s will, all men and women will see themselves as brothers and sisters in the great human family, peacefully united in and through our diversities."
