Before the Second Vatican Council, what traces of anti-Semitism were there in Catholic liturgy?
SRT: Every time we read from the New Testament, if the minister or priest hasn’t checked it, we can be reading something that is very anti-Jewish. For example when we read the Passion and make it sounds like the Jews cried out, “Crucify him,” and have the whole congregation say it. Anything that refers to the Passion comes out negatively until people are told ahead of time that Jesus chose to die for our sins. We, humans, were the ones who nailed Jesus to the cross. The Jews crucified no one. The Romans crucified people. The documents of Vatican II say that we are not supposed to blame Jews at the time of Jesus and certainly not Jews today. During Holy Week, on Good Friday, we used to say prayers for all different groups of people, first in Latin, then later in English. We used to pray for the perfidious Jews, which meant the non-believing Jews. BH: How is the liturgy as we see it today connected to Catholicism’s Jewish roots? SRT: In Mass that we offer, the priest washes his hands. An
