Expert: Fr. Michael - 8/22/2007

Question
Hello. One of the complaints that people direct against traditional Catholics is that they are anti-semetic. What is the traditional Catholic view on modern-day Jews? Were the Jews responsible for Christs death, and if so, are modern Jews also responsible? What is the traditional Catholic view of the Talmud and the "oral torah" that orthodox Jews believe in?

Answer
The Church did not hold that every Jew of every age was responsible for the death of Christ.  That opinion would be asinine.  Were the Jewish Apostles responsible?  Was the Blessed Virgin Mary?  What about all the disciples and even hearers of Christ?  Of course not.

Remember that the faction of Caiphas engineered the death of Christ because, in part, Christ was so popular with the Jews of His time!  The Pharasaic faction of Caiphas certainly does bear a major responsibility.  This is a matter of history.

Beyond that, one must distinguish between Jews and Judaism.  Naturally, all Christians consider Judaism superseded and erroneous after the New Covenent, and this error has sometimes been very strongly communicated, perhaps first by St. Paul himself, originally a Jew and a Pharisee.

Remember, too, that in the modern day, the term "Jew" is confusing.  Does it mean some kind of "race"?  Some Jews say yes; some say no.  Is it an adherent to a religion?  Most Jews in the United States are non-observant:  they don't go to synagogue and do not practice the rites of Judaism.  Some Jews say yes; some say no.  Is it a political faction in favor of Modern Israel, also called Zionism?  Some Jews say yes; some say no.