The Anglican Church of Canada, from conversion to dialogue: The case of Roland de Corneille, 1961-1970

The attitude of the Anglican Church of Canada toward Jews and Judaism was of a traditionally Christian conservative character. Since one of the characteristics of the Anglican Church was its missionary zeal, two missionary institutions operated for the Jews, in Toronto and Montreal, where most Canadian Jews lived. In 1960, Anglican priest Roland de Corneille, the secretary of the missionary Nathanael Institute in Toronto, initiated a dialogue to bring together the Anglican and Jewish communities in Canada. After a decade of activities interfaith dialogues became a widespread phenomenon. Anglican perishes initiated meetings with Jews. Reform and Conservative rabbis invited church members to participate in Jewish services. Interfaith conferences, visitations, theological dialogues, study courses, and leadership training sessions were held. The Roman Catholics, the Lutherans, the United Church, and the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion also entered into interreligious cooperation. This essay seeks to analyze the origin, purpose, objectives, and program of the dialogue in order to understand the changes that took place in the 1960's and 1970's that enabled members of the Anglican Church to move from conversion to dialogue.