Entertainment
Cardinal Koovakad: Religions must speak up when human dignity is threatened
At the gathering, “Dialogue in Diversity, a Shared Path Toward Fraternity,” in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Cardinal Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue invites leaders of various faiths to walk together “as bearers of peace and hope for our wounded world,” recalling Pope Leo’s call to act together in defense of humanity.
By Alessandro Di Bussolo
“Let us continue walking together beyond traditions, cultures, religions, and continents, as bearers of peace and hope for our wounded world.” Let us respond to the invitation of Pope Leo XIV in his first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas: “when the dignity of our brothers and sisters is disfigured, when politics fails to respond to the dramas of humanity, when the economy turns against the person, or when science oversteps the limits of its method, the Church—together with the other Christian denominations and believers of other religions—must make its voice heard, not in order to dominate, but to serve communion” (No. 27).
Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, concluded his address with this appeal. His speech was the central focus of the interreligious gathering “Dialogue in Diversity, a Shared Path Toward Fraternity,” which took place on Thursday, September 10, in the Golden Hall of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Argentina, beginning at 10:00 a.m. local time. This was his first public address during his visit to the Argentine capital from September 9 to 14.
Religion strengthens relationships
The gathering—opened by the the mayor of the Argentine capital, Jorge Macri—was attended by around sixty representatives of various local religious communities.
Following the Cardinal’s address, the participants exchanged ideas in a discussion moderated by María del Pilar Bosca, Director General for Religious Affairs. Cardinal Koovakad emphasized that “religion, in its essence, speaks of connection” and that, therefore, when it is lived authentically, “it strengthens relationships and helps societies to prosper. And how urgent it is today to reaffirm the value of authentic human relationships—relationships that stand against division, polarization, and indifference!”
The call to build bridges and educate for peace
The ultimate goal, recalled the Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, is peace—the “central theme” of the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV. It “is not an abstract promise. It is a concrete mission,” an act of love “that must be carried out every day and everywhere.”
For this reason, he stressed, “we are called to be leaders who build bridges and educate for peace in our families and communities; men and women who promote and live interreligious and ecumenical dialogue; who care for creation as our Common Home; who defend the life and dignity of every person, and particularly protect the most vulnerable; who work for religious freedom, non-discrimination, and a culture of encounter.” This service, often silent but persistent and courageous, “is already a concrete way of building that unarmed and disarming peace” of which the Pope speaks.
Pope Francis and the desire for authentic human fraternity
Being people of dialogue, the Cardinal reiterated, “means remaining deeply rooted in our faith traditions while cultivating openness, attentive listening, and respect for those who come from different backgrounds, always placing the human person, human dignity, and our relational and communal nature at the center.”
Cardinal Koovakad recalled Pope Francis, whom he had the “joy” of accompanying closely, as a man “capable of building relationships and whose great desire was to build an authentic human fraternity.”
The aim of this gathering in Argentina was “to foster fraternity and dialogue as paths toward consolidating new bonds of mutual respect that, at the same time, serve as fertile ground for peace to flourish.” Stability and peace, Pope Leo XIV reminds us, are not built “through mutual threats or weapons that sow destruction and death, but only through reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue.”
Steps forward in interreligious dialogue
To strengthen fraternity, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue continued, we must recognize that we are “sons and daughters of the same Father,” that we possess equal human dignity, and that, as humanity, we share “a universal aspiration for peace.” But we must also recognize that simply signing more agreements and formal commitments has not, by itself, achieved much. What is needed is a genuine willingness to engage in dialogue without prejudice or contempt.
To advance interreligious dialogue, Cardinal Koovakad said, we must “recognize the other as an equal, while respecting our differences,” something that “requires an open mind” and the “ability to listen without prejudice.” In order to “humanize humanity,” we must go back to the starting point, that is recognizing the other as one’s “neighbor.” Yet, we must also recognize the shared values that “help bring people closer together,” with the aim of “sharing knowledge and experiences, enriching one another, and taking on common commitments for the good of all.”
Interreligious groups that foster dialogue
As concrete practical proposals, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue highlighted the importance of “interreligious conviviality groups, which become ‘schools of convivial dialogue’ and are transformed into ‘cenacles of fraternity,’ where the joy of faith in a Father who makes us brothers and sisters is lived out and the commitment to peace is renewed.”
He also invited people to speak of an interreligious dialogue that is “unarmed and disarming,” an extension of the peace Pope Leo has taught. A dialogue is “unarmed” because it begins “with the disarmament of one’s own heart, emptying it of discriminatory conditioning, rejecting impositions, and renouncing conflict in order to open oneself to fraternal exchange.” A dialogue is “disarming” because those who participate in it “set aside aggression and confrontation, choosing instead gentleness, prudence, and listening, thus replacing enmity with fraternal friendship.”
The growth of interreligious dialogue in Argentina
Concluding Cardinal Koovakad spoke about interreligious dialogue in Argentina, where the process has been active for decades, with some initiatives dating back to before the Second Vatican Council, which subsequently encouraged greater commitment.
Today, he recalled, “numerous dioceses have offices dedicated to this issue; the Argentine Episcopal Conference offers training courses, various training centers exist, and seminars are frequently organized; Catholic universities are actively involved in this field and, without a doubt, there is also a great deal of activity on social media.”
Joint intervention on the Education Law in 2002
The Cardinal highlighted several important moments, including the participation in 2002 of representatives from ten major religious traditions in Argentina in the public debate over the National Education Law, an initiative organized by the Episcopal Conference’s National Commission for Justice and Peace. This initiative, like the participation of the head of government of Buenos Aires in this gathering, demonstrated how “through cordial coexistence, the problems that make living together difficult can gradually be resolved.”
Today, the growing number of interreligious groups in Argentina is a source of great hope. For the Dicastery, it will be of great help to “learn about their challenges, their good practices, and their ideas for promoting and enriching dialogue among the various religious traditions.”
Source link
