Hebrew Catholics face challenges in passing on the faith, says vicar
August 12, 2015
Father David Neuhaus, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem’s vicar for Israel’s Hebrew-speaking Catholics, issued a pastoral letter on the 60th anniversary of his vicariate.
The letter was dated August 9, the feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), a Jewish convert to Catholicism.
“A striking fact in looking at our history over the past 60 years is that we almost have no succession of generations among the Hebrew-speaking Catholics in our communities,” he said. “Tempted to assimilate into secular Jewish society in which we live, some of our faithful hide their Christian identities, adopt Jewish customs and even convert to Judaism.”
“The assimilation process is even more successful with our children who are educated in the secular, Jewish Israeli school system, with almost no exposure to the Christian faith and traditions of their parents,” he added. “This is particularly the case within the Israeli army, where our young people are encouraged to enter the ‘mainstream’ by becoming formally Jewish through conversion.”
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Further information:
- Saint James Vicariate celebrates its 60th anniversary (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
- Sixty Years - A Pastoral Letter (Saint James Vicariate)
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