39. Bonus Episode | The Gifts and the Calling Are Irrevocable: Toward a Catholic Zionism with Dr. Gavin D’Costa

As one of the bonus episodes for Beyond Rome, we are sharing conversations from our conference, Called to Friendship: Nostra Aetate at 60.

This presentation explores the theological foundations of “minimalist Catholic Zionism”—a position grounded in fundamental Catholic doctrinal assertions about God’s covenant with the Jewish people. Built upon four essential building blocks, this framework maintains that the Jewish covenant is irrevocable, applies to Jews today, includes the promise of the land, and remains unannulled in the New Testament while being firmly rooted in Old Testament revelation. Rather than advocating for specific political policies, this minimalist approach focuses on irreducible theological truths that emerge from Catholic teaching about the permanence of God’s covenant relationships and the continuity of divine promises across salvation history. The talk examines how these doctrinal foundations provide a theological basis for Catholic support of Jewish connection to the Holy Land that transcends political considerations while remaining faithful to both Scripture and tradition, offering Catholics a way to engage with questions of Israel and the Jewish people that is rooted in theological conviction rather than political alignment.

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