Abstract

The question can be put whether Nostra Aetate is addressing dialogue between religions,as its title would suggest, or encounter among the followers of different religions. Attention is paid first to the way the Council, in its other documents, speaks of religions. When the text of Nostra Aetate is examined, it is seen that its approach to religions is by no means exhaustive. Only a few religions are mentioned, and only positive aspects of them referred to. As regards dialogue or encounter, it is shown that this really takes place between individual followers of religions, but abstraction cannot be made of the religious systems to which they belong