Nostra Aetate at 60

Called to Friendship

Nostra Aetate at 60: The Spiritual Heart of Catholic-Jewish Relations

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Location: Saint John Paul II National Shrine, Washington, D.C. This program will be offered both in-person and virtually through a YouTube livestream.
Date: October 28, 2025 Anniversary of Nostra Aetate
Time: 8:30-4:00 PM

In a moment of historic convergence—the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the 25th anniversary of John Paul II’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the election of a new Pope Leo, and the Jubilee Year of Hope—we gather for a day of reflection on the heart of Catholic-Jewish relations.

Called to Friendship invites Catholic and Jewish leaders, scholars, and the faithful to move beyond dialogue and rediscover the sacred bonds of covenant, conscience, and communion. Rooted in Scripture and history, this friendship is urgently needed in our divided age.

Highlights include a keynote from George Weigel on the theology of John Paul II’s pilgrimage, Luma Simms on anti-semitism in immigrant communities, and Dr. Gavin D’Costa on “Catholic Zionism,” followed by audience Q&A.

A candid panel—featuring Rabbi Joshua Stanton, Yael Freimann, Kathryn Wolf, Peter Wolfgang, and Simone Rizkallah, moderated by Phil Dolitsky—will explore identity, mission, and mutual responsibility.
The day concludes with a spiritual reflection from Sr. Maris Stella, S.V., on the legacy of Cardinal John O’Connor: “We are spiritual Semites. If we forget our Jewish brothers and sisters, we forget who we are.”
Kathryn Jean Lopez will serve as emcee, with final remarks from Mary Eberstadt on “My Brother’s Keeper: Christians and the New Antisemitism”.

Conference Agenda:

 

8:30 AM – 9:15 AM: Opening Mass

 

9:15 AM – 9:45 AM: Coffee & Light Breakfast Reception: Welcome & Introductions by Kathryn Jean Lopez

 

9:45 AM – 10:15 AM: Session I: Keynote Address:  Nostra Aetate at 60 — and Beyond

  • This opening keynote reflects on the profound spiritual dimensions of Catholic-Jewish relations through the lens of Pope John Paul II’s historic pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2000, when the Polish Pope prayed at the Western Wall during the Great Jubilee of the Incarnation. As we mark this providential convergence of anniversaries—60 years since Nostra Aetate, 25 years since that historic pilgrimage, the election of a new Pope Leo committed to Catholic Social Teaching, and our current Jubilee of Hope—the keynote argues that Catholic support for Israel and the Jewish people must be understood primarily as a spiritual and theological imperative with profound political implications. Drawing parallels between John Paul II’s transformative invocation of the Holy Spirit in Warsaw on Pentecost 1979 and the theological foundations of Jewish-Catholic dialogue today, the address demonstrates how authentic spiritual commitments rooted in God’s irrevocable covenant and the Church’s examination of conscience can unleash world-changing consequences, challenging Catholics to ground their approach not in political calculation but in the deeper theological truths that continue the Pentecost moment when the Spirit moved the Apostles to proclaim the Gospel to all nations.

Speaker: George Weigel

 

10:15 AM – 10:45 AM: Session II – The Transmission of Anti-Semitism in Immigrant Communities and the Healing Power of Western Christianity

  •  This talk explores the often-overlooked reality of how anti-Semitic attitudes are carried into the West through immigrant communities—both Muslim and Christian. Drawing on personal experience and a Catholic lens, Luma addresses the cultural and theological roots of anti-Semitism among Middle Eastern Christians and highlights how Western Christianity, particularly through the lens of Nostra Aetate, offers a path of reconciliation, renewal, and healing. This timely conversation invites a candid yet compassionate exploration of complex identities, inherited prejudices, and the Church’s unique role in confronting them.

Speaker: Luma Simms

 

11:00 AM-12:00 PM- Session III: The Gifts and the Calling Are Irrevocable: Toward a Catholic Zionism (Romans 11:29)

  • This presentation explores the theological foundations of “minimalist Catholic Zionism”—a position grounded in fundamental Catholic doctrinal assertions about God’s covenant with the Jewish people. Built upon four essential building blocks, this framework maintains that the Jewish covenant is irrevocable, applies to Jews today, includes the promise of the land, and remains unannulled in the New Testament while being firmly rooted in Old Testament revelation. Rather than advocating for specific political policies, this minimalist approach focuses on irreducible theological truths that emerge from Catholic teaching about the permanence of God’s covenant relationships and the continuity of divine promises across salvation history. The talk examines how these doctrinal foundations provide a theological basis for Catholic support of Jewish connection to the Holy Land that transcends political considerations while remaining faithful to both Scripture and tradition, offering Catholics a way to engage with questions of Israel and the Jewish people that is rooted in theological conviction rather than political alignment.

Speaker: Dr. Gavin D’Costa

 

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch (on-site catered) – Blessing of the Meal by Rabbi Joshua Stanton
Optional guided tours of the John Paul II Shrine exhibits available during the break.

 

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Session III – Panel Discussion “Why Should I Care About Jewish-Catholic Relations?”

  • For many Catholics and Jews today, the idea of “interreligious dialogue” can feel abstract, irrelevant, or even suspect. And yet, at the heart of the Church’s renewed relationship with the Jewish people is something far deeper than diplomacy: a shared spiritual history, a wounded past, and a prophetic call to walk together in truth. This candid panel will tackle the real questions: Why should this friendship matter to Catholics today? Are Judaism and Catholicism actually related—or are they fundamentally separate faiths with little in common? What do we mean when we say “Judeo-Christian”? Can someone truly be a “Jewish Catholic”? How do we deal honestly with the difficult questions of mission, conversion, and reparation for past sins? And most importantly: what do Catholics and Jews need from each other now—not politically, but spiritually and culturally? Join us for a searching, unscripted conversation about how Catholics and Jews can move beyond mere dialogue toward a deeper, more demanding—and more hopeful—friendship.

Panelists: Yael Freimann, Kathryn Wolf, Rabbi Joshua Stanton, Peter Wolfgang, Simone Rizkallah

Moderator: Phil Dolitsky

 

2:30 PM – 2:45 PM: Afternoon Break

 

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM: Session IV – Closing Lecture: We Are Spiritual Semites: The Witness of Cardinal John O’Connor

  • A biographical and theological reflection on O’Connor’s legacy and what it means for the Church today. Cardinal John O’Connor, Archbishop of New York from 1984 to 2000, was one of the most courageous and compassionate voices for Catholic-Jewish reconciliation in the post–Nostra Aetate era. A Navy chaplain turned prince of the Church, O’Connor combined pastoral sensitivity with moral clarity, publicly condemning antisemitism and forging deep relationships with Jewish leaders in New York and beyond. In his own words, “We are spiritual Semites. If we forget our Jewish brothers and sisters, we forget who we are.” This talk traces his powerful legacy—marked by humility, justice, and friendship—and its urgent relevance for the Church today.

Speaker: Sr. Maris Stella, SV, Vicar General, Sisters of Life

 

3:45 PM – 4:00 PM: My Brother’s Keeper: Christians and the New Antisemitism by Mary Eberstadt, Founding Member of the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism

George Weigel Speaker George Weigel, is the Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), is a Catholic theologian and one of America’s leading public intellectuals. He holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.

From 1989 through June 1996, Mr. Weigel was president of the EPPC, where he led a wide-ranging, ecumenical and inter-religious program of research and publication on foreign and domestic policy issues.

Mr. Weigel is perhaps best known for his widely translated and internationally acclaimed two-volume biography of Pope St. John Paul II: the New York Times bestseller, Witness to Hope (1999), and its sequel, The End and the Beginning (2010). In 2017, Weigel published a memoir of the experiences that led to his work as a papal biographer: Lessons in Hope — My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II.

George Weigel is the author or editor of more than 30 other books, many of which have been translated into other languages. Among the most recent are The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God (2005); Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church (2013); Roman Pilgrimage: The Station Churches (2013); Letters to a Young Catholic (2015); The Fragility of Order: Catholic Reflections on Turbulent Times (2018); The Next Pope: The Office of Peter and a Church in Mission (2020); and Not Forgotten: Elegies for, and Reminiscences of, a Diverse Cast of Characters, Most of Them Admirable (2021). His essays, op-ed columns, and reviews appear regularly in major opinion journals and newspapers across the United States. A frequent guest on television and radio, he is also Senior Vatican Analyst for NBC News. His weekly column, “The Catholic Difference,” is syndicated to 85 newspapers and magazines in seven countries.

Mr. Weigel received a B.A. from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore and an M.A. from the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto. He is the recipient of 19 honorary doctorates in fields including divinity, philosophy, law, and social science, and has been awarded the Papal Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, Poland’s Gloria Artis Gold Medal, and Lithuania’s Diplomacy Star.

Mr. Weigel received a B.A. from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore and an M.A. from the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto.
Dr. Gavin D’Costa Speaker Professor Gavin D’Costa is Professor at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome; and Emeritus Professor of Catholic Theology at the University of Bristol, UK. D'Costa is author of eight monographs, most recently: Vatican II. Catholic Doctrines on Jews and Muslims, (OUP, 2014) and Catholics and Jews After Vatican II (OUP, 2019). His work has been translated into seven languages. D’Costa has also published a book of poetry, and had has two of his poems (Daughters of Zion, Mass for Uncertain Times) set to music by the English composer, John Pickard. He is an advisor to the Roman Catholic Bishops in England and Wales on matters related to other religions and has worked with the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Vatican City.
Sister Maris Stella Speaker While serving as a Naval Officer, Sister Maris Stella had a profound experience of God’s love in the Eucharist that opened her heart to religious life. She encountered the Sisters of Life and knew she was being called to lay down her life so that others might live and have eternal life. Sister Maris Stella has served in various missions including the formation of postulants, the Visitation Mission to women who are pregnant and vulnerable to abortion, the Hope and Healing Mission work of retreats and accompaniment for those suffering after abortion, and the Denver Mission of Evangelization. Sister Maris Stella is originally from Massachusetts and is the 2nd of 4 children. Upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis MD, she served in the Navy for 5 years. She entered the Sisters of Life in 2006 and professed her final vows in 2014. She holds a Master's degree in Theology from the Augustine Institute and has done extensive research and writing on the life of her congregation's founder, John Cardinal O’Connor. Sister Maris Stella currently serves as the Vicar General of the Sisters of Life.
Kathryn Jean Lopez Speaker Kathryn Jean Lopez is a senior fellow at the National Review Institute where she directs the Center for Religion, Culture, and Civil Society. She is also religion editor of National Review magazine (where she has been on the editorial staff, including as editor of National Review Online, for over a quarter century). She is published widely in Catholic and secular publications and is also a nationally syndicated columnist with Andrews McMeel Universal. Lopez is author of A Year with the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living. She speaks frequently on faith in public life, virtue, and prayer.

Lopez writes frequently about religious freedom and persecution and serves on the boards of the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, N.Y. and the Institute for Catholic Humanitarian Service at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. She has long put a priority on pro-life issues, including foster care, adoption, marriage, and family and is on the boards of Springs of Love, a foster-care and adoption ministry, and Witness to Love, a marriage-mentoring program. She also serves on the Board of Regents at the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. Lopez is a certified spiritual director and trained abortion-clinic sidewalk counselor.

Lopez currently serves as chair of Cardinal Dolan’s Pro-Life Commission in New York. She frequently hosts forums and other conversations on the dignity of human life. She spoke at the rally organized by the Mississippi Attorney General’s office outside the Supreme Court the morning of the oral arguments in the Dobbs case that overturned Roe, highlighting resources for women and the human faces of abortion.

Lopez is also a media fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute. She is co-author of the book How to Defend the Faith without Raising Your Voice. She wrote the afterward to Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan’s COVID-19 book I Am with You: Lessons of Hope and Courage in Times of Crisis. She is a contributor to recent books which include Women Who Pray: Eleven Catholic Women on the Power of Prayer, Mind, Heart, and Soul: Intellectuals, the Path to Rome, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral: The Legacy of America’s Parish Church. Her “Caught My Eye” feature can be heard weekdays on The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM, Channel 129.

Among other honors, she was inducted into the National Council for Adoption’s Adoption Hall of Fame in Nov. 2021 for Media Excellence and was awarded the annual Washington Women in Journalism Award for Outstanding Journalism in the Periodic Press from CQ Roll Call in 2016 for writing about genocide against Christians in the Middle East and religious persecution. She has an honorary doctorate from The Catholic University of America.

At the opening Mass of the Year of Faith in Rome in October 2012, Pope Benedict XVI presented her with a message to women throughout the world.
Mary Eberstadt Speaker Mary Eberstadt is an American writer and author of several influential books including Adam and Eve after the Pill, Revisited, Foreword by Cardinal George Pell (2023); Primal Screams: How the Sexual Revolution Created Identity Politics (2019); and How the West Really Lost God: A New Theory of Secularization (2013). She has written for many journals and magazines, and her books and essays have been widely translated.

Mrs. Eberstadt is a senior research fellow at the Faith and Reason Institute in Washington, D.C., and she occupies the Panula Chair in Christian Culture at the Catholic Information Center. She is a Distinguished Fellow at Australian Catholic University and an international course advisor at Campion College, Australia. Mrs. Eberstadt holds honorary doctorates in humane letters from Seton Hall University in New Jersey and Magdalen College, New Hampshire. Her early work includes two years as a speechwriter to American Secretary of State George Shultz, and speechwriting for Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick.

Mrs. Eberstadt graduated from Cornell University magna cum laude with a double major in philosophy and government. Updates about her work and appearances can be found on her website, maryeberstadt.com


Lopez currently serves as chair of Cardinal Dolan’s Pro-Life Commission in New York. She frequently hosts forums and other conversations on the dignity of human life. She spoke at the rally organized by the Mississippi Attorney General’s office outside the Supreme Court the morning of the oral arguments in the Dobbs case that overturned Roe, highlighting resources for women and the human faces of abortion.

Lopez is also a media fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute. She is co-author of the book How to Defend the Faith without Raising Your Voice. She wrote the afterward to Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan’s COVID-19 book I Am with You: Lessons of Hope and Courage in Times of Crisis. She is a contributor to recent books which include Women Who Pray: Eleven Catholic Women on the Power of Prayer, Mind, Heart, and Soul: Intellectuals, the Path to Rome, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral: The Legacy of America’s Parish Church. Her “Caught My Eye” feature can be heard weekdays on The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM, Channel 129.

Among other honors, she was inducted into the National Council for Adoption’s Adoption Hall of Fame in Nov. 2021 for Media Excellence and was awarded the annual Washington Women in Journalism Award for Outstanding Journalism in the Periodic Press from CQ Roll Call in 2016 for writing about genocide against Christians in the Middle East and religious persecution. She has an honorary doctorate from The Catholic University of America.

At the opening Mass of the Year of Faith in Rome in October 2012, Pope Benedict XVI presented her with a message to women throughout the world.
Kathryn Wolf Speaker Kathryn Wolf spent nearly two decades as a newspaper reporter, learning the trade at the Washington Post, and covering crime/general news for the St. Petersburg Times and fashion/style for the Miami Herald. She is an active member of a Reform synagogue in Durham, NC, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Palm Beach, and a Chabad shul in Chapel Hill. She is former deputy director of community engagement for Tablet Magazine, where her work has appeared, and has also published stories in the New York Post, Jerusalem Post, The Forward, and other outlets. She is founder of the nonprofit It Is Us. A graduate of Barnard College, Kathryn and her husband have two teenage daughters.
Rabbi Joshua Stanton Speaker You may have already seen Rabbi Stanton on CNN or in a documentary film, or read about him in syndicated media, publications, and articles that have appeared in a dozen languages.

Rabbi Stanton was ordained from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in 2013, where he received the David G. Sacks Prize for General Academic Excellence, the Rabbi M. Cohen Award for Ecumenical Studies and the Rabbi Samuel J. Levinson Prize in Religion and the Humanities. While at HUC-JIR, Rabbi Stanton served as founding co-editor of the Journal of Interreligious Studies, the pre-eminent academic journal in the field of Interreligious Studies, helping it gain recognition as a field of its own by the American Academy of Religion. He received international acclaim for his work, being honored as one of six global finalists for the $100,000 Coexist Prize.

He is an alumnus of Amherst College, from which he graduated magna cum laude with majors in history, economics, and Spanish. He returned there to deliver the 2018 Baccalaureate Address at the tenth anniversary of his own graduation.

In 2017, Rabbi Stanton co-edited a symposium edition of the Reform Jewish Quarterly on empowering the rising generations in American congregations with his close colleague and friend, Rabbi Benjamin Spratt. The two are longtime creative partners, having co-founded Tribe, a New York-based initiative that has empowered thousands of young professionals to develop vibrant Jewish community. They are co-authors of Awakenings: American Jewish Transformations in Identity, Leadership, and Belonging (Berhman House, 2022) and an eponymous series for Religion News Service. They are working on another volume about transformations underway in other religious communities.

Rabbi Stanton was named a 2019 Faith Justice Hero by the Interfaith Center of New York and received a 2020 Racial Equity and Interfaith Cooperation Award from the Interfaith Youth Core. In 2021, he was named to the inaugural class of Sacred Journey Fellows, selected from a group of 1,700 interfaith leaders from across the country. In 2022, he was invited to become a Founding Partner of Starts With Us, a movement to overcome social division and polarization. In 2023, he served as Interfaith Consultant to the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Parade and in 2024, he served in the same role for the Broadway revival of Cabaret. He was Executive Producer of the “Art & Soul” podcast with Matthew Johnson Harris.

He enjoys running, baking, reading, and spending time with his family.
Yael Freimann Speaker Yael Freimann is a passionate strategist and organizational culture expert with a unique perspective shaped by her Jewish values. Drawing from her extensive experience as the Chief Strategy Officer at TI Verbatim Consulting (TIVC), Yael has spent her career integrating human optimization, cultural transformation, and leadership development across both the public and private sectors.

Her Jewish background has been a cornerstone of her leadership philosophy, deeply influencing her approach to building inclusive, ethical, and resilient organizations. From her community leadership roles to her professional endeavors, Yael is committed to principles of tikkun olam (repairing the world), justice, and collective responsibility. These values drive her work in helping organizations not just optimize their operations, but also create environments that empower individuals and communities to thrive.
Phillip Dolitsky Strategic Advisor Phillip Dolitsky is a Strategic Advisor at The Philos Project. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from Yeshiva University and his Master’s in International Relations from American University. Prior to joining Philos, Phillip worked at a national law firm doing research and analysis for several high-profile counterterrorism cases. In addition to his work at The Philos Project, Phillip has published extensively on military strategy, military ethics and national security, with his writings appearing in Chesterfield Strategy, Parameters, Military Strategy Magazine and more. When he's not reading or writing about military history and strategy, Phillip can be found playing chess, at the orchestra or indulging his interest in watches.
Simone Rizkallah Director of Philos Catholic Simone Rizkallah is the Director of Philos Catholic at The Philos Project. As a first-generation American of Egyptian-Armenian descent, Simone has a particular interest in matters of religious freedom, culture, and the Eastern roots of the Faith. Her graduate degree is in Theological Studies from Christendom College. Her undergraduate studies and professional background include marketing communications, media, radio, and theatre. She is a frequent guest on Catholic Answers Live and a faculty member of the Avila Institute.

You can find her talks, publications, and podcast episodes on her website www.culturalgypsy.com.
Luma Simms Speaker Luma Simms was born in Baghdad, Iraq to a Christian family. She lived as a refugee in Greece and immigrated to America when she was nine. Her background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She studied law at Chapman University School of Law before leaving to become an at-home mom. She is currently a Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center where she studies and writes on American democracy, religion, culture, and immigration.

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