Did Vatican II End Missionary Activity to Convert Jews?

[Michie]

Until Vatican II (1965) the Catholic Church carried out missionary activity to convert Jews to Christianity.

In 2015 the Vatican said that “it neither conducts nor supports any specific institutional mission work directed towards Jews.”

This raises the question whether Vatican II changed the Church’s practice with regard to converting Jews.

1. The New Testament
The earliest Christians had a complicated relationship with their contemporary Judaism. Jesus was a Jew, but followers such as Stephen were killed by fellow Jews (Acts 7). Jesus approved of Jewish observance (Matthew 5:17), but his followers modified aspects of that observance (Acts 15:19).

The Early Church considered itself to be “sent” by Jesus to preach a gospel which called for faith in Jesus (John 14:6), and baptism (Mark 16:16). That gospel was to be preached to the whole world, including both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews).

It is clear that the gospel was indeed preached to Jews. There are at least ten occasions where the Acts of the Apostles show Paul doing so (Acts 13:14; 14:1; 17:1; 17:10; 17:17; 18:4; 18:19; 19:8; 22; 28:17).

As a result of New Testament texts like these, Christians traditionally interpreted the Scriptures as teaching that there should be missionary activity towards Jews.

2. Pre-Vatican II

Continued below.

Did Vatican II End Missionary Activity to Convert Jews? - Catholic Stand

Previously, Church teaching called for the conversion of Jews, but there are questions as to whether this has changed with Vatican II.

catholicstand.com

 

[JimR-OCDS]

If we look back at the history between the Church and Jews, it's not good.
Heck, Catholics served the Nazi's in Germany. Sure, there were those who
opposed Hitler, but the majority went along with the Nazis.

The same was true between the Catholics and Protestants. When I was
growing up in the Church before Vatican II, we were prohibited from going
inside a protestant church. The only Cub Scout den was being run by a
former Catholic woman, in the local protestant church. We were prohibited from
joining.

Yes, we no longer try and force conversions of Jews as we did in the past. The
result is that we probably converted more Jews to Catholicism since Vatican II,
than before. At least in my own experience, I've met a few Jewish converts, one
was a Trappist monk and author, Fr Raphael, RIP.