** 27-Mar-2023 World View: Cum Nimis Absurdu
The Catholics (and, I assume, the
Orthodox Christians as well) have for
centuries blamed the Jews for the death
of Jesus Christ.  This was stated
explicitly by Pope Paul IV Papal bull on
July 14, 1555.
That Papal bull has never been
withdrawn, and was considered by many to
be the teachings of the Church well into
the 20th century, well through the time
of Hitler and the Holocaust.
It was finally repudiated on April 13,
1986 by Pope John Paul II.
I do not know whether or not Orthodox
Christians still blame the Jews for the
death of Jesus Christ.
In 2014, I wrote a lengthy article
describing these issues:
** 25-May-14 World View -- Pope Francis visits Mideast to reconcile with Jews, Orthodox, and Muslims
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/ ... tm#e140525
The following paragraphs are some brief
excerpts from that article:
For centuries, the Catholics have blamed
the Jews for the death of Jesus, and
have justified discrimination against
Jews for that reason.  The most explicit
statement of this was a Papal bull
issued by Pope Paul IV on July 14, 1555.
It applied mainly to the city of Rome.
It established a ghetto with only one
entrance and exit, and prescribed severe
economic restrictions.  It begins with
the words, "Cum Nimis Absurdu" ("As it
is completely absurd"), and goes on to
explain that though they are condemned
to eternal servitude through their own
fault (killing Jesus), it is absurd that
they should be allowed to live freely
with Christians.
Here's the beginning:
    "As it is completely
    absurd and improper in the utmost
    that the Jews, who through their own
    fault were condemned by God to
    eternal servitude, can under the
    pretext that pious Christians must
    accept them and sustain their
    habitation, are so ungrateful to
    Christians, as, instead of thanks
    for gracious treatment, they return
    contumely, and among themselves,
    instead of the slavery, which they
    deserve, they manage to claim
    superiority: we, who newly learned
    that these very Jews have insolently
    invaded our City Rome and a number
    of the Papal States, territories and
    domains their impudence increased so
    much that they dare not only to live
    amongst the Christian people, but
    also in the vicinity of the churches
    without any difference of dressing,
    and even that they rent houses in
    the main streets and squares, buy
    and hold immovable property, engage
    maids, nurses and other Christian
    servants, and commit other and
    numerous misdeeds with shame and
    contempt of the Christian
    name. Considering that the Church of
    Rome tolerates these very Jews is
    evidence of the true Christian faith
    and to this end [we declare]: that
    they, won over by the piety and
    kindness of the See, should at long
    last recognize their erroneous ways,
    and should lose no time in seeing
    the true light of the catholic
    faith, and thus to agree that while
    they persist in their errors,
    realizing that they are slaves
    because of their deeds, whereas
    Christians have been freed through
    our Lord God Jesus Christ, and that
    it is iniquitous for it to appear
    that the sons of free women serve
    the sons of maids.
    1. Desiring firstly, as much as we
    can with God, to beneficially
    provide, by this. that will forever
    be in force, we ordain that for the
    rest of time, in the City as well as
    in other states, territories and
    domains of the Church of Rome
    itself, all Jews are to live in one
    and if there is not that capacity in
    two or three or however many
    quarters may be enough; they should
    reside entirely side by side in
    designated streets and be thoroughly
    separate from the residences of
    Christians, by our authority in the
    City and by that of our
    representatives in other states,
    lands and domains noted above, and
    that there must be only one entrance
    and exit from this
    quarter."
The paragraph above explicitly describes
how the ghetto is to work.  The bull
goes to list enormous restrictions on
Jews, including where they may earn a
living. ...
The Papal bull "Cum Nimis Absurdu" has
never been withdrawn, and was considered
by many to be the teachings of the
Church well into the 20th century, well
through the time of Hitler and the
Holocaust.
It was only fully repudiated finally on
April 13, 1986, when Pope John Paul II
made a dramatic visit to the Great
Synagogue of Rome and gave an address
that fully repudiated the terms of "Cum
Nimis Absurdu":
    "We are all aware that,
    among the riches of this paragraph
    no. 4 of Nostra Aetate, three points
    are especially relevant. I would
    like to underline them here, before
    you, in this truly unique
    circumstance. The first is that the
    Church of Christ discovers her
    "bond" with Judaism by "searching
    into her own mystery" (cf. Nostra
    Aetate, ibid.) The Jewish religion
    is not "extrinsic" to us, but in a
    certain way is "intrinsic" to our
    own religion. With Judaism therefore
    we have a relationship which we do
    not have with any other
    religion. You are our dearly beloved
    brothers and, in a certain way, it
    could be said that you are our elder
    brothers.
    The second point noted by the
    Council is that no ancestral or
    collective blame can be imputed to
    the Jews as a people for "what
    happened in Christ's passion"
    (cf. Nostra Aetate, ibid.) Not
    indiscriminately to the Jews of that
    time, nor to those who came
    afterwards, nor to those of
    today. So any alleged theological
    justification for discriminatory
    measures or, worse still, for acts
    of persecution is unfounded. The
    Lord will judge each one "according
    to his own works," Jews and
    Christians alike (cf. Rom 2:6)
    The third point that I would like to
    emphasize in the Council's
    Declaration is a consequence of the
    second. Notwithstanding the Church's
    awareness of her own identity, it is
    not lawful to say that the Jews are
    "repudiated or cursed," as if this
    were taught or could be deduced from
    the Sacred Scriptures of the Old or
    the New Testament (cf. Nostra
    Aetate, ibid.). Indeed, the Council
    had already said in this same text
    of Nostra Aetate, but also in the
    Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium,
    no. 16, referring to Saint Paul in
    the Letter to the Romans (11:28-29),
    that the Jews are beloved of God,
    who has called them with an
    irrevocable calling."
In particular, for the first time, the
Pope specifically and unambiguously
repudiated the claim that the Jews were
at fault for the death of Jesus.