Exclusive interview
John Henry Newman Center of Higher Education, Hungary, Sümeg, 6 March 2016
Mr. Fülep: Fifty years ago, the declaration Nostra aetate of the Second Vatican Council was promulgated. Its fourth article presents the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people in a new theological framework. This writing is one of the most problematical and controversial council documents, among other things, because of statements about the Jews. And now for this semi-centenary a new document[30]was written by Cardinal Kurt Koch on behalf of the Holy See, where we can read that "the Catholic Church neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews.” Is Jesus’ mission command no longer valid?
His Excellency Bishop Schneider: It is impossible because it would be absolutely contrary to the word of Christ. Jesus Christ said: „I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt 15,24). And his mission continues, he has not abolished it. He said that “go to all nations and make them my disciples”[33] rather than “go to all nations with the exception of the Jews”. The above statement implies this. This is absurd. This is against the will of God and against the entire history of the life of the Church in two thousand years. The Church has always preached to everyone irrespective of his nation and religion. Christ is the only Redeemer.
Today the Jews reject the covenant of God. There is only one covenant of God: the Old Covenant was only preparatory and achieved his aim in the New and Everlasting Covenant.
That’s also the teaching of the Second Vatican Council: „The principal purpose to which the plan of the old covenant was directed was to prepare for the coming of Christ. God, the inspirer and author of both Testaments, wisely arranged that the New Testament be hidden in the Old and the Old be made manifest in the New” (Dei Verbum, 15–16). The Jewish rejected this Divine covenant, since Jesus told them: „Whoever hates me also hates my Father” (Jn 15,23). These words of Jesus are still valid for today’s Jews: „Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mk 13,31). And Jesus said that if you do not accept me, you cannot go to the Father.[34]When today’s Jews reject Christ, they reject the Father and his covenant, too. Because there is ultimately one covenant only, not two covenants: the Old went over to the New Covenant. Because there is one God, there aren’t two gods: a god of the Old Testament, and a god of the New Testament. This is gnostic heresy. This is the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Talmud. Today the Jewish are the Talmudist disciples of the Pharisees, who rejected the Covenant of God in His new and eternal covenant. However, the just Jews in the Old Testament – the prophets, Abraham and Moses – accepted Christ. Jesus told this, so we have to point it out, too.
Mr. Fülep: While the Nostra aetate closely related to John Paul II called the Jews “elder brothers”, pope Benedict XVI used the “fathers in faith” form. But the Jews in the Old Testament and Talmudic Judaism are two quite different things, aren’t they?
His Excellency Bishop Schneider: Yes, of course. Unfortunately, these expressions of these two popes are also in some degree ambiguous. They are not clear. So when these words are to mean that the Jews are our elder brothers, we have to point out that only the Jews of the Old Testament – the Prophets, Abraham and all the saints of the Old Testament – are our elder brothers. This is correct because they already accepted Christ, not explicitly but at the level of the prefigures and symbols, and Abraham even explicitly, as Christ Himself told: „Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8,56). But how can we say it about today’s Jews of the Talmud who reject Christ and have no faith in Christ and the Holy Trinity? How can they be our elder brothers if they have no faith in Christ? What are they supposed to teach me? I have faith in Christ and the Holy Trinity. But they reject the Holy Trinity, so they have no faith. Therefore they can never be my elder brothers in faith.