Vatican
City, 28 November 2013 (VIS) – The Catholic Church is conscious of
the value of the promotion of friendship and respect between men and
women of different religious traditions. We are increasingly aware of
its importance, both because the world has, in some ways, become
'smaller', and because the phenomenon of migration increases contact
between people and communities of different traditions, cultures and
religions. This fact calls to our Christian conscience and it is a
challenge for the understanding of faith and for the real life … of
many believers”.
With
these words, Pope Francis welcomed the participants in the plenary
assembly of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, whose
president is Cardinal Jean-Louis Taurant, which is dedicated to the
theme “Members of different religious traditions in society”. The
Holy Father referred to his Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii
Gaudium” to reaffirm that “an attitude of openness in truth and
in love must characterise the dialogue with the followers of
non-Christian religions, in spite of various obstacles and
difficulties, especially forms of fundamentalism on both sides”.
In
fact, “there is no lack, throughout the world, of contexts in which
co-existence is difficult: often political or economic motives
overlap with cultural and religious differences, exploiting
misunderstandings and past mistakes: all this risks generating
diffidence and fear. There is only one route to conquering this fear,
and it is encounter, characterised by friendship and respect”.
“Dialogue
does not mean renouncing one's own identity in approaching others”,
explained Pope Francis, “nor does it mean accepting compromises on
faith and Christian morality. On the contrary, 'true openness
involves remaining steadfast in one's deepest convictions, clear and
joyful in one's own identity', and therefore convinced that the
encounter with persons different to ourselves may offer an
opportunity for growth in brotherhood, enrichment and witness.” He
adds, “Interreligious dialogue and evangelisation are not mutually
exclusive, but rather nurture each other. We do not impose anything,
we use no underhand strategies to attract the faithful, but rather
evangelise with the joy and the simplicity in which we believe and
which we experience. Indeed, an encounter in which each person sets
aside his belief, pretending to renounce that which is most dear to
him, would certainly not be an authentic relationship. This could be
described as a false fraternity”.
Constructive
dialogue between people of different religious traditions “also
helps overcome another fear, which we unfortunately find in the most
strongly secularised societies: the fear of the various religious
traditions and of the religious dimension as such. … There is a
widespread belief that co-existence would be possible only by
concealing one's own religious identity, encountering one another in
a sort of neutral space, without references to the transcendent.
However, how is it possible to create true relations, to build a
society that is an authentic communal home, imposing that its members
set aside an intimate part of their being? Certainly, it is necessary
that all this occurs with respect for the convictions of others, even
those who do not believe, but we must have the courage and the
patience to encounter and come towards each other as we are”.
“The
future is in respectful co-existence in diversity”, concluded the
Pope, “not in the uniformity of a single theoretically neutral
thought. The recognition of the fundamental right to religious
freedom, in all its dimensions, therefore becomes indispensable. In
this regard, great efforts have been made to express the Magisterium
of the Church during recent decades. We are convinced that this is
the route to building peace in the world”.