Sixty years after the conciliar Declaration Nostra aetate, the Holy See renews its invitation to follow the path of dialogue, fraternity and peace. It is a journey that continues to challenge the Church and religious life in a world marked by conflict, polarization and new forms of isolation.

On 16 September 2026, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue jointly published the Note A Journey of Hope. Sixty Years of Dialogue and Interreligious Fraternity in the Light of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra aetate.

Approved by Pope Leo XIV on 22 June 2026, the document commemorates the sixty years since the promulgation of Nostra aetate on 28 October 1965 and looks to the future, reaffirming the continuing relevance of interreligious dialogue as a path of encounter, mutual understanding and peacebuilding.

A Seed of Hope That Continues to Grow

Born in the context of the post-war period and profoundly shaped by the tragedy of the Shoah, Nostra aetate opened a new chapter in the Catholic Church’s relations with Judaism and other religious traditions.

The new Note retraces this journey through the teaching of the Popes who carried forward the Council’s vision: from Saint Paul VI to Saint John Paul II, with the historic interreligious meeting in Assisi in 1986, from Benedict XVI to Pope Francis, and finally to Leo XIV.

In his General Audience of 29 October 2025, Pope Leo recalled that Nostra aetate teaches us to encounter believers of other religions “not as outsiders, but as fellow travellers on the path of truth,” recognizing our differences while at the same time acknowledging our common humanity.

Sixty Years of Dialogue and Fraternity

Particular attention is given to Jewish-Christian dialogue and to the common spiritual heritage recognized by Nostra aetate. The Note strongly reaffirms the rejection of every form of antisemitism and recalls the responsibility of Christians to safeguard and deepen this relationship.

The document also considers the many “visible and silent fruits” that have matured over these sixty years: dialogue with Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and traditional religions; encounters between religious leaders and communities; educational and humanitarian initiatives; and collaboration in support of the poor, migrants, refugees and victims of conflict and discrimination.

Among these experiences, the Women’s Network for Interreligious Dialogue is also mentioned, as a sign of the distinctive contribution women can make to building relationships, fostering mutual understanding and promoting peace.

The journey, however, is not complete. Misunderstandings, resistance and mistrust persist both within and outside the ecclesial community. For this reason, the Note calls for investment in a genuine “pedagogy of dialogue”, capable of fostering knowledge of other religious traditions, listening and encounter.

Identity and Openness: A Challenge for Our Time

Dialogue does not mean giving up one’s identity. The Note rejects both the idea of creating a kind of world religion in which differences are erased and the opposite temptation to retreat into closed and self-referential identities.

The image proposed is that of the polyhedron: many faces, each with its own identity, capable of forming together a richer reality.

This image is particularly meaningful for religious life, which is called each day to live the encounter between different cultures, languages, peoples and sensibilities. Dialogue is not simply something to be promoted outside our communities: it is a way of relating to one another that must be learned and practised every day.

In a world marked by wars, polarization, fundamentalism and new forms of exclusion, Nostra aetate continues to point towards a possible path: meeting one another without erasing differences, getting to know one another without fear of the other, and collaborating without giving up one’s own identity.

Sixty years later, this journey of hope remains open. The Church invites us to walk it together, becoming builders of bridges and artisans of peace and fraternity.

Read the full text of the Note