I have been privileged to attend two interfaith events recently. The first was the observance of the 60th anniversary of the issuance of Nostra Aetate, the Vatican II document that recast the relation between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people, which took place on the campus of Marist School. The other was an Iftar dinner in conjunction with the celebration of Ramadan, sponsored by The Atlantic Institute and held at the Carter Center.  

Bishop Joel M. Konzen, SM

At both of these there were representatives of various churches and several religions. They both functioned as truly interfaith gatherings in which Atlanta-area clergy, scholars, and people of good will came together to affirm the benefit of mutual exchange and support. 

I was asked to address those gathered at both events. At the Nostra Aetate anniversary observance, I was part of a discussion on Jewish-Christian relations along with Rabbi Noam Marans, national director of interreligious relations at the American Jewish Committee. Together we explored some of the progress made in the 60 years since the publication of the document, including a closer working relationship in Atlanta between the 30-some Jewish congregations and Archbishop Hartmayer, as well as with some individual Catholic churches that are exploring or initiating partnerships with their Jewish counterparts. 

At the Ramadan dinner at the Carter Center, I was asked to give a brief address about the Catholic Church in Atlanta and its relation to The Atlantic Institute. In my remarks, I referenced the will of our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, that the Catholic Church advance the dialogue that has taken place on various occasions with leaders of Islam. In an address in May 2025, Pope Leo affirmed the need to continue with a direction of mutual interest and understanding: “Now is the time for dialogue and building bridges.”  He went on to speak positively of the representatives of other religious traditions, describing them as those “who share the search for God and his will, which is always and only the will of love and life for men and women and for all creatures.” 

Especially as conflict in the Middle East is once more visiting members of all the Abrahamic religions, the temptation to characterize one or another of these ancient religions as evil or misguided is strong. There is no question that zealots in any religion have the ability to distort the intentions of its core teachings. The path to peace, though, will be forged through peacemaking initiatives at every level. Our steady commitment to peace comes from Jesus telling his hearers “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”  With war and destruction such a common and intimate experience for many in the Middle East, one small role that we Catholics can play is to sustain hope for a resumption of peace through our prayer and through relations with the other religions. 

As he met Orthodox and Muslim leaders at the Vatican last year, Pope Leo told them, “In a world wounded by violence and conflict, each of (your communities) brings its own contribution of wisdom, compassion and commitment to the good of humanity and the preservation of our common home.”  The events that our local Catholic Church supports and participates in can affirm our desire to see peaceful relations as the norm in our dealings with other religions and in the constant quest for Christian unity. More important still than these events is our commitment to offer our prayers for peace in our homes, in our nation, and throughout the world. We are never looking to compromise our beliefs when we offer words of common understanding, only to shore up the already significant ties that have been cultivated over the centuries.