The Church
and Interreligious Dialogue
Cardinal Tauran: "It Is a Journey in Search of the
Truth"
NAIROBI, Kenya, APRIL 23, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is an
excerpt of the address Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran,
president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious
Dialogue, gave at a five-day conference in Nairobi on
"Formation in Interreligious Dialogue in Sub-Saharan
Africa."
The entire text can be found on the ZENIT Web page:
http://www.zenit.org/article-22396?l=english
* * *
My dear friends, 43 years ago His Holiness Pope Paul VI,
published his first Papal Encyclical, Ecclesiam Suam, in
which he underlined the new spirit of dialogue and
collaboration manifesting itself in the world. In
explaining the nature of this dialogue with the "world,"
he identified the interlocutors as "those human beings
whoa re opposed to the light of faith and the gift of
grace" (n.59), "non-Christians" (nn.107-108),
non-Catholics/other Christians (nn.109-120). The
foresighted Pontiff went further to describe the
characteristics of this dialogue: it must respect human
freedom and dignity and be accompanied by meekness. He
drew attention to the dangers of relativism of watering
down or whittling away of truth. He affirmed: "Our
apostolate must not make vague comprises concerning the
principles which regulate and govern the profession of
Christian faith both in theory and in practice. An
immoderate desire to make peace and sink differences at
all costs is ultimately nothing more than skepticism
about the power and content of the Word of God which we
desire to preach." (n.88).
The key document of the Second Vatican Council on
inter-religious dialogue, Nostra Aetate, highlighted the
common elements of different religious: All human beings
have same origin and same end. God is the creator of
all. The same destiny, "namely God" awaits every human
being. God's providence, "evident goodness, and saving
designs extend to all men" (n.1). Moreover human beings
face the same challenges of searching for answers to
some of the profound questions of human existence. The
look to their different religions for answers to the
unsolved riddles of life:" What is man? What is the
meaning and purpose of life? What is upright behaviour,
and what is sinful? Where does suffering originate, and
what end does it serve? How can genuine happiness be
found? What happens at death?" (n.1).
Since after the Second Vatican Council, the Church has
been promoting inter-religious dialogue by emphasizing
the spiritual bonds that unite people of different
religions. This was a constant theme in many of the
addresses of Pope John Paul II throughout his
Pontificate. For example, here in Kenya on May 7, 1980,
addressing the Muslims of Kenya, he said: "On my part I
wish to do everything possible to help develop the
spiritual bonds between Christians and Muslims. Prayer,
almsgiving and fasting are highly valued in both our
traditions and are beyond doubt a splendid witness to a
world that runs the risk of being absorbed by
materialism." To the Hindus, he said: "The purpose of
life, the nature of good, the path of happiness, the
meaning of death and the end of our human journey- all
these truths form the object of our common service of
man in his many needs, and to the promotion of his full
human dignity."
In several documents the Catholic Church expresses her
esteem of other religions. In the Nostra Aetate, we read
that the Church "has a high regard for the manner of
life and conduct, the precepts and doctrines which,
although differing in many ways from her own teaching,
nevertheless often reflect a ray of that truth which
enlightens all men." Of the religions, Pope Paul VI
said, "many of these religious possess an impressive
patrimony of deeply religious texts. They carry within
them the echo of thousands of years of searching for
God…. They possess an impressive patrimony of deeply
religious texts. They have taught generations of people
how to pray." But the Church insists that she is "duty
bound to proclaim. Without fail, Christ who is the way,
the truth and the life' (John 14,6).
Further, the Church acknowledges that God wills all
human beings to be saved and this salvation is extended
to all those who are not Christians" nevertheless seek
God with a sincere heart, and moved by grace, try in
their actions to do his wills they know it though the
dictates of their conscience." And includes those "who
without any fault of theirs, have not yet arrived at an
explicit knowledge of God, and who, not without grace,,
strive to lead a good life. And according to the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, "indeed, God desires
all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the
truth' (1 Tim.2,4); that is God wills the salvation of
everyone through the knowledge of the truth. Salvation
is found in the truth. Those who obey the promptings of
the Spirit of truth are already on the way of
salvation." (n.851).
The Catholic Church recognizes partners in dialogue as
equal in dignity as human persons. But this does not
mean that "all religions are more or less the same."
As might be expected, for different reasons, not every
person is enthused about inter-religious dialogue. There
are those who think that inter-religious dialogue, if
not a betrayal of the mission of the Church to convert
every person to Christ, are a new method of winning
members to Christianity. There are those who hold that
the drive of the Church for inter-religious relations is
an effort to control the spread of other religions. It
is not any of these. In Nostra Aetate," The Church…
urges her sons (and daughters) to enter with prudence
and charity into discussion and collaboration with
members of other religions. Let Christian's while
witnessing to their own faith and way of life,
acknowledge, preserve and encourage the spiritual and
moral truths found among non-Christians, also their
social life and culture."
Inter-religious Dialogue, service to the truth
Inter-religious dialogue is certainly a bridge-building
exercise. It has to do with the way and means of
relating with people of different religions. It includes
creating harmony in the society, encouraging development
of friendship and spirit of tolerance. But it goes
beyond the niceties of polite conversation which
encourages people to stay where they are and avoid
talking about the grey areas of disagreement. It is a
journey in search of the truth. Pope Paul VI explains
that the principal responsibility of the Church is
service to the Truth- "truth about God, truth about man
and his hidden destiny, truth bout the world, truth
which we discover in the Word of God and of which we are
neither the masters nor the authors but the guardians,
the heralds and the ministers" Partners in
inter-religious dialogue are fellow pilgrims in the
search for truth. It is a task that demands faith. Only
people of faith, who are open to the promptings of the
Holy Spirit, can rightly engage in inter-religious
dialogue.
Inter-religious Dialogue, animated by and expressed in
works of charity
In Ecclesiam Suam, Pope Paul VI described
inter-religious dialogue as "a method of accomplishing
the apostolic mission." (n.8). Several years later, Pope
John Paul II inserted it where it really belongs as
"part of the evangelizing mission of the Church." As
explained in Dialogue and Mission, the source of this
mission is divine love; this love is revealed in Christ;
the love is made present through the action of the Holy
Spirit; and all activities of the Church are to be
imbued with love. It is indeed "the impulse of interior
charity which tends to become an exterior gift of
Charity."
Pope Benedict XVI affirms that inter-religious dialogue
forms part of the "diakonia" which the Church offers to
the world. Caritas-agape goes beyond the confines of the
visible Church because it is motivated by Christ's
mission of the Church to every human being without
distinction.
