Page 77 - October 7 - Teresa Pirola

interfaith work, the understanding has not gone deep enough. The water hasn’t seeped far enough beneath the surface.
‘The signs were there as far back as the 1965 Nostra Aetate document (which enshrined a greater dialogue and respect toward the major non-Christian religions of the world). We speak now about what a great achievement it was. It fundamentally changed Catholic-Jewish relations, but it had to fight to get onto the table at the Second Vatican Council; therefore follow-up work was going to be crucial’.
That said, ‘good things did happen’, Pirola notes. ‘Textbooks were changed and interfaith bodies set up. But the work of consolidation in Australia hasn’t been consistent. The effort dissipated and bishops have focused on other priorities. Meanwhile, a simplistic anti-Israel narrative has taken hold of social justice discussions like water dripping on stone, becoming the new antisemitism, and this has infected Catholic attitudes. There are dioceses where interfaith work has become “tick a box”, rather than a deep, focused effort on transformation’.
A month after October 7, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference met, affording it an opportunity to condemn the assault, albeit belatedly. ‘I was shocked’, declares Pirola, who had been pressing for a response. ‘It issued a bland statement, expressing generic concern about suffering and peace, but not a word about the massacre, hostages or antisemitism.
‘In contrast, Melbourne’s Archbishop Peter Comensoli issued a clear statement the next day—the only Australian Catholic leader to take a strong stance against the unprecedented wave of antisemitism. He requested that his statement be read in his parish churches, which is what was needed around Australia’.
As part of her efforts, Pirola devised an online prayer
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