Embrace ‘deep spiritual bonds’ between Jews and Catholics, says bishop in Yom Kippur message
Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, PA, released a video message to Jewish communities celebrating Yom Kippur, wishing them well and encouraging reflection on repentance and renewal. He urged Catholics to reject antisemitism and highlighted the deep spiritual bonds shared between Jews and Catholics. The message underscores themes of repentance and reconciliation that resonate with both Yom Kippur and Catholic faith. The video was posted on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ YouTube channel on September 18, 2026.
12 days ago
U.S. Catholic bishops used a video message ahead of Yom Kippur to emphasize the historic and theological ties between Jews and Catholics, encourage deeper friendship and understanding, and call for rejection of antisemitism. The observance begins at sunset on Sept. 20, 2026, and ends at nightfall on Sept. 21. 1 2
Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, delivered the message in a video released Sept. 18. He extended “warmest wishes” to the Jewish community and concluded with the traditional greeting “G’mar chatima tovah,” meaning a good final sealing. 1
Bambera described Yom Kippur as a day centered on fasting, prayer, repentance and reconciliation. He said these themes also resonate deeply with Catholics because they call people to examine the past year and commit themselves to renewal and more generous living. 1 2
The bishop said Jewish-Catholic relations are more than an exchange between two religious communities. He characterized them as being rooted in “deep spiritual bonds,” a shared religious patrimony and scriptural traditions from which both Judaism and Christianity draw. 1
Bambera said dialogue should produce more than an exchange of ideas. In his formulation, it should create friendships, build trust and help both communities recognize their responsibilities toward one another. 1 2
The message called on Catholics to reject antisemitism in every form and to work so that Jews can live and worship without hatred or fear. Bambera also urged Catholics to deepen their knowledge of Judaism and of the Jewish people, rather than opposing antisemitism only when it becomes visible. 1
Bambera cited the Second Vatican Council’s 1965 declaration Nostra Aetate, which affirmed the spiritual relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people and condemned hatred, persecution and antisemitism directed against Jews “at any time and by anyone.” 1 2
The OSV account placed Bambera’s message alongside a Vatican document titled A Journey of Hope: Sixty Years of Interreligious Dialogue and Fraternity in the Light of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate. The document, approved by Pope Leo XIV on June 22 and released Sept. 16, was prepared collaboratively by three Vatican departments.
According to the account, the Vatican document stated that Jewish-Christian dialogue should not be treated as secondary, but as part of becoming fully aware of Christianity’s own original identity.
Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The observance includes nearly 26 hours of intensive fasting, prayer and abstinence from food and drink, and follows Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish year.
Across the reports, the central message was that repentance and renewal provide a point of spiritual connection, while sustained personal relationships between Jews and Catholics can strengthen mutual understanding, trust and peace. 1 2*
Explore Catholic teachings on Jewish‑Catholic spiritual kinship
Catholic teaching describes Jewish–Catholic kinship as a unique spiritual relationship rooted in God’s covenant with Israel, the shared Hebrew Scriptures, and the Jewish origins of Christianity. It is neither a claim that Judaism and Christianity are identical nor a reason for hostility or coercive proselytism.
The Church understands herself as organically connected to Israel’s history. Her faith reaches back to Abraham, Moses, the prophets, and the people through whom God gave the Old Testament. Vatican II compares the Church to wild olive branches grafted onto Israel’s cultivated olive tree: Christians depend spiritually on the root from which they have received nourishment.
This kinship is concrete:
For this reason, the Catechism calls the Jewish faith a response to God’s revelation in the Old Covenant, distinguishing it from religions that do not arise from that biblical revelation.
A central Catholic conviction is that God has not revoked his covenantal gifts or calling to the Jewish people. Saint Paul teaches that “the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29), and the Church repeatedly applies this principle to Jewish–Christian relations.
This does not mean that the Church regards the Old Covenant as simply unrelated to Christ. Catholics believe that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God, and that the Scriptures of Israel find their fulfillment in him. Yet Catholic teaching insists that this Christian confession must not be turned into contempt for Jews or denial of their continuing place in God’s providential plan. The New Testament’s differences from the Old Testament do not justify mutual hostility.
Thus, the Church holds together two truths:
The precise theological relationship between the Old and New Covenants remains a subject of serious theological reflection; the supplied texts clearly affirm both Christ’s fulfillment and the enduring divine fidelity toward Israel.
John Paul II described Jews as Catholics’ “brothers and sisters in the Lord” and emphasized that Catholics owe them not only respect but “great fraternal love.” He also stated that discrimination and persecution against Jews have no valid theological justification and are sinful.
The phrase “elder brothers,” associated with John Paul II, expresses Christianity’s dependence upon Israel’s prior election and revelation. It does not mean that Jews are merely incomplete Christians, nor that Catholics and Jews have exactly the same faith. Rather, it highlights the historical and spiritual priority of Israel’s covenantal relationship with God and the Church’s indebtedness to it.
Because the relationship is intrinsic to Christian identity, dialogue with Jews is not merely ordinary interreligious diplomacy. It is also a form of the Church’s self-understanding. Catholic teaching encourages biblical and theological study, personal encounter, mutual knowledge, esteem, and cooperation for peace and justice.
Such dialogue should:
In summary, Catholic teaching sees Jews and Catholics as spiritually related through one unfolding history of divine revelation. Christians are grafted onto Israel’s spiritual root, indebted to the Jewish people, and bound to them by respect and love. This kinship is compatible with genuine theological difference, but never with contempt, persecution, or the portrayal of Jews as rejected or accursed by God.