Guidelines for Celebrating Liturgy during Holy Week
As we approach Holy Week Christians throughout the world reflect upon the scriptures. The way in which Christians interpret these scriptures has had an historical great influence upon the way in which the Church has understood itself with regard to Jews and Judaism.
Awareness of the possibilities of anti-semitic interpretations and preaching is brought to consciousness during Holy Week. For this reason various churches and Jewish-Christian dialogue groups have prepared guidelines for teaching and preaching during Holy Week. Guidelines are also recommended for Christians with regard to the Jewish Passover and Passover Seders.
The following web sites provide links for Christians: preachers, teachers and communities, as we approach Holy Week.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
Guidelines for Catholic-Jewish Relations. May 1992. Published at Jewish-Christian Relations web site. Appendix: Passover.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales
Committee for Catholic-Jewish Relations. Passover Seder Guidelines for Parishes.
Guidelines for Lent Readings.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
God's Mercy Endures Forever: Guidelines on the Presentation of Jews and Judaism in Catholic Preaching. September 1988.
Criteria for the Evaluation of Dramatizations of the Passion. March 1988.
Working Group on Christian Jewish Relations of the Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.
Notes on the Lessons for Holy Week Years A, B and C.
Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday.
Good Friday.
Easter Day.
The Jewish Passover Seder.
Note of Warning about Passover Seder 're-enactments.'
The Vatican
Pope Paul VI (1965) Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate.
Commission for religious Relations with the Jews (1974). Guidelines and Suggestions for Implementing the Conciliar Declaration "Nostra Aetate" (N4).
Commission for religious Relations with the Jews (1985). On the Correct Way to Present the Jews and Judaism
in Preaching and Catechesis in The Roman Catholic Church.
The Pontifical Biblical Commission. The Jewish People and their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible.
