Events have been held in Birmingham and Rome bringing together leaders and representatives from different faiths to mark the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate.
Published on 28 October 1965, Nostra Aetate – ‘In Our Time’ – was a ground-breaking declaration of the Second Vatican Council focusing on the Catholic Church’s relations with non-Christian religions. It is a call to reject prejudice and embrace the universal dignity of every human person as created in the image and likeness of God. It paved the way for a new era of understanding, particularly in Catholic-Jewish relations, and it promoted respect for all religions. Nostra Aetate is still considered a foundational text for this important dialogue.
St Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham, 26 October 2025
On Sunday 26 October representatives from six different religions met together at St Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham for the national celebration of Nostra Aetate‘s diamond jubilee.
The celebration, held within the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year with its emphasis on hope, provided the Catholic Church in England and Wales with an opportunity to express gratitude to colleagues from other religions for the warmth of the interreligious dialogue and the close working relationships that have been built up over the years.
The event included Sung Vespers with reflections from Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and Christian representatives, and a panel discussion titled ‘Dying to Live’ that explored the challenges faced by Birmingham’s faith communities in end-of-life care settings.
For full running order of speakers, visit the Catholic News podcast channel.
Among the diversity of traditions and beliefs, the centrality of loving, dignified and person-centred care at the end of life shone through as a unifying feature. While there is still work to be done in terms of improving religious literacy in end-of-life care, the panel discussion demonstrated how interreligious cooperation and dialogue can provide rare and valuable insights into each other’s spirituality, a better understanding of our common ground, and greater respect for our differences.
Bishop Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham and Lead Bishop for Interreligious Dialogue emphasised the continuing relevance of the declaration: “In a world scarred by religious extremism, cultural polarisation and conflicts often fuelled by misunderstanding, this dialogue is a moral imperative. As we would all recognise, it requires humility, openness, and a commitment to active listening so as to ensure that differences enrich the dialogue rather than divide.”
Rome, 27-29 October 2025
In Rome, from 27-29 October, a major conference was held at the Pontifical Gregorian University, supported by the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. The conference, titled ‘Towards the Future: Re-thinking Nostra Aetate Today’ explored with renewed vigour the text of Nostra Aetate, locating its message in today’s complex contexts, and seeking the renewal of genuine listening and dialogue as a pathway to peace.
In his opening remarks, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, reminded participants that, “The Church’s goal in writing this document was promoting unity and love among people and nations, what people have in common and what draws them to fellowship.” However, he questioned whether, after 60 years, our new reality has drawn us closer together, and urged participants to rethink Nostra Aetate “to chart a path towards the future which leads us to promote unity and love” in an “authentic spirit of conviviality”.
Over three days, the conference charted the progress made and challenges still faced in the promotion of interreligious dialogue. Nostra Aetate‘s condemnation of “hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone” (NA 4) was reaffirmed, and there were calls among speakers and participants for the Church and all world religions to be voices of peace and justice.
Formation of the faithful, openness to the complexity of doubt and the restoration of sincerity and depth to interreligious dialogue emerged as vital and urgent needs if we are to cultivate transformative and flourishing relationships within and between faiths in today’s world.
28 October 2025
On Tuesday 28 October 2025, the anniversary of the publication date of Nostra Aetate, Pope Leo XIV joined representatives of world religions, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, Vatican and Church officials and people committed to interreligious dialogue, in a celebration held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.
Music, dance, testimonies and messages of fraternal greetings built an atmosphere of celebration and anticipation ahead of Pope Leo’s arrival. Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, echoed Nostra Aetate‘s rejection of antisemitism, calling the document the “common compass of Jewish-Christian relations”; and Buddhist monk and founder of the Museum of World Religions, Hsin Tao, shared the simple but profound message, “When the heart is at peace, the world will be at peace.”
Continuing the theme of building peace through dialogue, Pope Leo reflected that “dialogue is not a tactic or a tool, but a way of life — a journey of the heart that transforms everyone involved, the one who listens and the one who speaks. What is more, we walk this journey not by abandoning our own faith, but by standing firmly within it. For authentic dialogue begins not in compromise, but in conviction — in the deep roots of our own belief that give us the strength to reach out to others in love.”
Earlier in the day, the Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) presented Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, with their annual Bridge Award, which recognises those who have built bridges between faith communities. Speaking after the event with the Pope, Rev. Dr Nathan Eddy, Co-Director of the Council for Christians and Jews, said, “This evening’s event was really inspiring. Cardinal Pizzaballa earlier today spoke of the need of people of faith in the Middle East to really work hard to build those personal relationships, and it is really imperative for us all to reach out to people of other faiths around us for the sake of good relations.”
Read the full text of Pope Leo XIV’s speech given in the Paul VI Hall on 28 October here.
