Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - Today’s world, despite situations of conflict, violence and fear, there are many opportunities to promote dialogue and brotherhood among peoples of different cultures and religions. This emerged from a conversation with Indian born Mgr. Felix Machado, under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, who said: “For the Catholic Church Festivities of non Christian communities such as Diwali for Hindus or Id-al-Fitr for Muslims; the anniversary Vatican II’s Nostra Aetate Declaration; the waves of solidarity which have followed recent natural disasters, the 2004 tsunami and this month’s earthquake in Kashmir are all opportunities to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with believers of other religions ”.
Commenting Catholic efforts to face the emergency and meet the needs arising from the earthquake disaster in Kashmir Mgr Machado said: “In Asia the Church is seen in an excellent light. In times of emergency in fact the Church is always a point of reference for humanitarian aid. Indians know they can rely on Catholics to give assistance without discrimination, corruption or preference. And this is happening now to meet the earthquake emergency in Kashmir where the small but active and generous Catholic community immediately became a point of reference”.
Since 1997 through its Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue the Holy See has sent annual messages to the Hindu and Muslim world communities on the occasion of the respective feasts of Diwali for Hindus (see Fides 26/10/2005) and Id-al-Fitr for Muslims (see Fides 14/10/2005): “A message to mark a religious festivity of a different community is a step towards dialogue. It is a symbolic gesture of sharing, an opportunity to ignite a spark of friendship or reconciliation. In fact local Churches all over the world thank us for these official messages useful in their efforts to promote relations with other believers, and send us letters of thanks received from leaders of other religions”
Lastly, Mgr Felix Machado recalled the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate declaration issued by the Second Vatican Council, “a guiding document for inter-religious dialogue the magna charta for our Pontifical Council. Forty years later we can say that the Church is doing everything possible to build bridges with believers of other religions. This is a process which continues and it has been marked by prophetic acts such as Pope Paul VI’s visit to Bombay and the Inter-religious Day of Prayer for Peace convoked by Pope John Paul II in Assisi in 1986. Today dialogue is ever more important as a means of promoting peace and reconciliation among communities, to restore hope and to promote the universal good of humanity”. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 27/10/2005 righe 31 parole 328)
