<P> Cardinal Meyer said: "Following the teaching of Scripture, St. Thomas makes two points: (1) No single individual Jew of Christ's time was subjectively guilty of deicide, since all acted in ignorance of Christ's divinity . This must be said explicitly in our text . (2) The bulk of Jews should be acquitted of any formal guilt because they followed their leaders out of ignorance . As proof of this St. Thomas refers to St. Peter:' I know that you acted in ignorance' (Ac 3: 17). Finally it must be also said where the real guilt of the torment of Christ lies:' He died for us and for our salvation' ." </P> <P> Archbishop Patrick O'Boyle of Washington said: "The word' conversion' awakens in the hearts of Jews memories of persecutions, sufferings, and the forced denials of all truths that a Jew loves with sincerity and good faith . So a Jew, when he hears that Catholics are seeking to further his' conversion', thinks of the reintroduction of that type of proselytism that for centuries assaulted his rights and personal dignity...It would be better if we were to express our hope for the turning of the Jews (to Christ) in such a way that they, too, can perceive with respect its honesty and our humble recognition that the mystery of salvation does not depend on us, but upon God's transcendent act ." He offered the following text: "Furthermore, it is worthy of remembrance that the union of the Jewish and Christian people is part of Christian Hope . With Unshaken faith and deep longing the Church awaits that union which God will bring about in His own time and in a way still hidden in His wisdom ." </P> <P> Cardinal Joseph Ritter of St. Louis suggested the following text: </P> <P> For this reason, all must take care that they in no way present the Jewish people as rejected or deicidal, or throw blame for all the crimes committed during the Passion of Christ upon the whole people then living and, a fortiori, upon the Jews of our own time . All these (evil deeds) are really the responsibility of all sinful people and especially of Christians who have fallen into sin . The Catechism of the Council of Trent recalls this truth in all bluntness: the guilt of the Crucifixion rests above all upon those who repeatedly relapse into sin . For as our sins brought Christ the Lord to death upon the Cross, so those who wallow in sin and vice in fact crucify the Son of God anew insofar as depends on them and hold Him up to contempt (see Heb. 6: 6). </P>

Exploring the declaration on the relation of the church to non-christian religions