{"id":289899,"date":"2026-09-19T21:56:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T21:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/289899\/"},"modified":"2026-09-19T21:56:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T21:56:17","slug":"embrace-deep-spiritual-bonds-between-jews-and-catholics-says-bishop-in-yom-kippur-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/289899\/","title":{"rendered":"Embrace \u2018deep spiritual bonds\u2019 between Jews and Catholics, says bishop in Yom Kippur message"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t283<\/p>\n

As the Jewish community marks the holiest day of its year, a U.S. Catholic bishop is extending his \u201cwarmest wishes,\u201d while urging Catholics to reject antisemitism and recall the \u201cdeep spiritual bonds\u201d between Jews and Catholics.<\/p>\n

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, will be observed in 2026 from sunset on Sept. 20 to nightfall on Sept. 21, the 10th day of the month of Tishrei in the Jewish liturgical calendar.<\/p>\n

The holy day \u2014 which traces its roots to the people of Israel\u2019s repentance after worshipping a golden calf, as described in Exodus 32<\/a> \u2014 is marked by close to 26 hours of intensive fasting, prayer and abstinence, including from food and drink.<\/p>\n

Repentance, reconciliation resonate with Catholics<\/p>\n

Repentance and reconciliation are central themes of Yom Kippur, and \u201calso resonate deeply with us as Catholics,\u201d said Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops\u2019 Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.<\/p>\n

In a Sept. 18 video message<\/a> posted to the USCCB\u2019s YouTube channel, Bishop Bambera said that Yom Kippur \u2014 which follows \u201cthe joy of renewal\u201d recently celebrated on Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish year \u2014 \u201cinvites a searching examination of the year that has passed and a commitment to the year ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BishopBishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pa., is pictured in a 2024 file photo. Bishop Bambera, chairman of the US. bishops\u2019 Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, has released a video message to the Jewish community as it celebrates Yom Kippur Sept. 20-21 amid rising antisemitism. (OSV News photo\/courtesy Diocese of Scranton)<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the heart of this observance is the recognition that our relationships with God and with one another call us continually to reflection, repentance and renewal, to consider how we can live more faithfully and more generously,\u201d said Bishop Bambera.<\/p>\n

\u2018Deep spiritual bonds\u2019<\/p>\n

Noting that Jewish and Catholic faithful both seek to restore their connection to God and others, Bishop Bambera said, \u201cOur relationship with the Jewish people is not simply a matter of dialogue between two religious communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather, he said, \u201cIt is rooted in the deep spiritual bonds that unite us, including our shared patrimony and the scriptural heritage from which both our traditions draw.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cThat is why building genuine friendship and understanding between Jews and Catholics matters so deeply.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those same reasons, said Bishop Bambera, \u201cwe must reject antisemitism in all its forms and work together to ensure that the Jewish people can live and worship free from hatred and fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rejecting antisemitism<\/p>\n

In its 1965 declaration \u201cNostra Aetate<\/a>,\u201d the Second Vatican Council affirmed the spiritual patrimony between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people, decrying \u201chatred, persecutions,\u201d and displays of antisemitism \u201cdirected against Jews at any time and by anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

That teaching, consistently reaffirmed and deepened over the ensuing decades by papal teachings, was most recently highlighted<\/a> by the Vatican in \u201cA Journey of Hope: Sixty Years of Interreligious Dialogue and Fraternity in the Light of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA drone view of Jewish worshippers taking part in Slichot, a prayer in which Jews offer repentance and ask God to forgive their sins at the Western Wall in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, Sept. 18, 2026, ahead of Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement and the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pa., chairman of the US. bishops\u2019 Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, has released a video message to the Jewish community as it celebrates Yom Kippur Sept. 20-21 amid rising antisemitism. (OSV News photo\/Ilan Rosenberg, Reuters)<\/p>\n

The 8,600-word note<\/a>, approved by Pope Leo XIV June 22 and released Sept. 16, was the result of a collaboration among the Vatican\u2019s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity \u2014 which also oversees religious relations with Judaism \u2014 and the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.<\/p>\n

In their note, the dicasteries emphasized that Jewish-Christian dialogue cannot be regarded as \u201csecondary,\u201d but as \u201ca matter of becoming fully aware of one\u2019s own original identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Called to deepen understanding of Judiasm<\/p>\n

Bishop Bambera said Catholics \u201care called not only to oppose antisemitism when it appears, but also to deepen our understanding of Judaism and of the Jewish people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relationships that \u201chave grown between our communities\u201d following the Second Vatican Council\u2019s declaration \u201cremind us that dialogue is not merely an exchange of ideas,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt its best, it creates friendships, builds trust, and helps us recognize our responsibilities toward one another,\u201d Bishop Bambera said. \u201cOn this Yom Kippur, may the year ahead bring greater understanding, friendship and peace among our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

He closed his message with the traditional Jewish High Holiday greeting \u201cG\u2019mar chatima tovah\u201d (\u201ca good final sealing\u201d), referencing the Jewish belief that the divine Book of Life, inscribed on Rosh Hashanah, is sealed on Yom Kippur.<\/p>\n

Gina Christian<\/a> is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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