WITNESSING TO GOD THE FATHER IN INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

VATICAN CITY, APR 21, 1999 (VIS) - "Witnessing to God the Father in Dialogue with Followers of Other Religions" was the theme of John Paul II's catechesis during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square, in the presence of 25,000 pilgrims.

The Pope explained that with the Declaration "Nostra aetate" and in view of the Great Jubilee, we can reflect on "how we can witness to God the Father in dialogue with followers of other religions."

"If the Lord God of Israel is not a God among others, but is rather the One true God, He must then save all peoples. ... The conviction that God is preparing all people for salvation is the foundation of inter-religious dialogue."

The Holy Father highlighted that dialogue should not be in contrast with the proclamation (of our faith). "In reality, inter-religious dialogue is an integral part of the Church's evangelizing mission. ... However, in inter-religious dialogue it is not a question of abandoning the proclamation (of the faith), but rather of answering a divine call so that exchange and discussion lead to a mutual witness of one another's religious vision, to a deeper knowledge of one another's respective convictions and an understanding of certain fundamental values."

"Christianity," he concluded, "is the call to respect the deepest sense of the divine mystery, beyond all words and human concepts. However, it does not hesitate to witness to the personal transcendence of God, whilst it proclaims his universal loving fatherhood, which is fully manifest in the mystery of His crucified and risen Son."

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