“The dialogue we have developed helps to spread the treasures of our religious traditions and draw wisdom from them to face the urgent challenges of our time.” This is what the Vatican’s Congregation for Interreligious Dialogue wrote in its message to Buddhists around the world on Vesak Day. For Buddhists around the world, Vesak Day is an important celebration that commemorates the birth, enlightenment and nirvana of the Buddha.
The message says that “the spirit of the jubilee enriches” our greetings. In addition, the message repeatedly refers to the Second Vatican Council’s document “The Attitude of the Church to Non-Christian Religions”, which, after its publication in 1965, has “deepened” the relationship between the Catholic Church and believers of different religious traditions. Therefore, “the Catholic Church does not reject” the “authentic and holy elements” of other religions, which, although different from each other, “reflect the light of truth that illuminates all humanity.”
In addition, the message also says, “In our time of divisions, conflicts and suffering, we realize the urgent need for a dialogue that can free people. This dialogue is not limited to words, but has the ability to turn words into concrete actions to promote peace, justice and the dignity of all people.”
The Congregation for Interreligious Dialogue reiterates that, as it did when it published the Declaration on the Church’s Attitude towards Non-Christian Religions, our times are marked by “injustice, conflict and uncertainty about the future”, but it is important to remember that religions have the capacity to give meaningful responses.
Dialogue and the desire for fraternity prompt us to “strive for unity and fraternity among peoples and nations, inviting us to build on our commonalities and appreciate our differences”. The letter concludes by saying that through dialogue, “our respective traditions can provide appropriate responses to our times”.
