International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee

On October 28, 1965, the Second Vatican Council issued its groundbreaking declaration "On the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions" (Nostra Aetate), which called for ongoing dialogues between Jews and Catholics.  In the following years, formal structures for such interactions began to be established. In 1967, Jewish advocacy and rabbinic bodies organized an International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC) to represent the Jewish community to the Vatican and, later, other non-Jewish religions. In 1970, IJCIC and Vatican officials agreed in "A Memorandum of Understanding" to meet regularly as an International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee (ILC).  In 1974, Pope Paul VI established the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews within the Council for Christian Unity to be the official contact point between the Vatican and the worldwide Jewish community on religious matters.

This page presents texts associated with the activities and meetings of the ILC.