Senior Vatican officials and Cambodian Buddhist monks have begun a new round of dialogue to seek ways to promote Buddhist and Christian cooperation and work for peace.
The three-day seminar, the eighth in a series, opened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on May 27 and was attended by about 150 Buddhists and Christians from 16 countries, mainly from Asia.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue said in a May 24 press release that the symposium was “a timely reminder of the power of religion not only to prevent violence but also to promote healing, reconciliation and resilience.”
The seminar was aimed at “promoting peace in a world torn by conflict and violence,” said the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which organized the seminar in partnership with Cambodian Buddhists and the Cambodian government.
Cardinal Georges Kouwakkad, Prefect of the Apostolic See, said at the opening ceremony that the symposium “provides a sacred space for Buddhists and Christians to come together not only as representatives of two ancient traditions, but also as pilgrims.”
He described the program as a “symbol of hope” amid existing challenges and stressed the need for religious communities to work together to address individual suffering and divisions within society.
He said many have become “exhausted and frustrated” in the face of recurring reports of war and injustice.
He stressed that both Christians and Buddhists have common spiritual resources that can support efforts to heal.
He added: “Reconciliation and resilience, deeply rooted in our respective faiths, can build and sustain lasting peace.”
Mgr Olivier Schmidthausler, Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, stressed the spirit of peaceful coexistence among religions in Cambodia in his welcome speech.
He said the symposium will be remembered in the history of our small Catholic Church in Cambodia and expressed gratitude to the Cambodian government for its support for religious harmony.
Citing the late Pope Francis, he said everyone should feel called to foster “a culture in which dialogue is the path, common cooperation is the way of life, mutual understanding is the method and the criterion.”
