--- description: The new document marks the continued easing of relations. title: Vatican Says Catholics Shouldn't Try to Convert Jews image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8830c7290bd3694b/698874e20b72e3f3326e7392/vatican-calls-catholics-not-try-convert-jews.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Vatican Says Catholics Shouldn't Try to Convert Jews ## Video: Why The Pope Says Christmas Will Be A 'Charade' [Watch (HLS stream): Why The Pope Says Christmas Will Be A 'Charade'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/RIxNPPqD.m3u8) (0:30)  _Published 2015-11-22. The pope has pointed to ongoing global conflict as a reason Christmas celebrations this year might ring a little hollow._  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 10:13 PM CUTPublished: Dec 10, 2015 9:40 PM CUT  The document out of Vatican City on Thursday outlined the relationship between Catholicism and Judaism. The document out of Vatican City on Thursday outlined the relationship between Catholicism and Judaism.Gonzalo Azumendi—Getty Images  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 10:13 PM CUTPublished: Dec 10, 2015 9:40 PM CUT The Vatican reported its findings about the relationship between Catholicism and Judaism [on Thursday](http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2015/12/10/0976/02131.html "undefined"), concluding that Catholics should [stop trying to convert Jews](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/12/10/459223058/catholics-should-not-try-to-convert-jews-vatican-commission-says "undefined"). The Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with Jews released a document outlining developments in the church’s stance towards Judaism, including that Jews do not need to be converted to Catholicism to find salvation since God did not [revoke his covenant](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-jews-idUSKBN0TT1BK20151210#JMUsKXQYdReXGW8F.97 "undefined") with Israel. “The Church is therefore obliged to view evangelisation \[sic\] to Jews, who believe in the one God, in a different manner from that to people of other religions and world views,” the [document says](http://www.news.va/en/news/vatican-issues-new-document-on-christian-jewish-di "undefined"). “In concrete terms this means that the Catholic Church neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews.” The document does not constitute official church doctrine, but does communicate the stance of the Holy See. The report’s authors also called for Catholics to work with Jews to [fight antisemitism](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/10/vatican-tells-catholics-not-to-attempt-to-convert-jews "undefined"). “Because of the strong bond of friendship between Jews and Catholics, the Catholic Church feels particularly obliged to do all that is possible with our Jewish friends to repel anti-Semitic tendencies,” the document states. “Pope Francis has repeatedly stressed that a Christian can never be an anti-Semite, especially because of the Jewish roots of Christianity.” The report [marks](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/10/vatican-tells-catholics-not-to-attempt-to-convert-jews "undefined") the 50th anniversary of Vatican II, the council that first began improving relations between Judaism and Catholicism by renouncing the concept of Jewish collective responsibility for the crucifixion of Christ. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4145056/vactican-catholics-jews-convert/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4145056/vactican-catholics-jews-convert/"},"headline":"Vatican Says Catholics Shouldn't Try to Convert Jews","datePublished":"2015-12-10T21:40:00.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T22:13:36.000Z","description":"The new document marks the continued easing of relations.","url":"https://time.com/4145056/vactican-catholics-jews-convert/","keywords":["Pope Francis topic","The Vatican","Judaism"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8830c7290bd3694b/698874e20b72e3f3326e7392/vatican-calls-catholics-not-try-convert-jews.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8830c7290bd3694b/698874e20b72e3f3326e7392/vatican-calls-catholics-not-try-convert-jews.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"vatican calls catholics not try convert jews","caption":"vatican calls catholics not try convert jews","creditText":"Gonzalo Azumendi—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4145056/vactican-catholics-jews-convert/","name":"Vatican Says Catholics Shouldn't Try to Convert Jews"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Why The Pope Says Christmas Will Be A 'Charade'","description":"The pope has pointed to ongoing global conflict as a reason Christmas celebrations this year might ring a little hollow.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/RIxNPPqD/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-11-22T21:59:30.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/RIxNPPqD.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4145056/vactican-catholics-jews-convert/","duration":"PT30S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4145056/vactican-catholics-jews-convert/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```