Vatican News
A testament to “fraternal love” and a call for dialogue addressed to the faithful of other religious traditions—coming at a time when the very foundations of dialogue are being undermined by fundamentalism, extremism, violence, and marginalization.
At the same time, it is an invitation to collaborate, build fraternity, and work together to aid the poor.
This is how “A Journey of Hope: Sixty Years of Interreligious Dialogue and Fraternity in Light of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate” is presented to the Vatican Media by its signatories: Cardinals Victor Manuel Fernández, Kurt Koch, and George Koovakad—the Prefects respectively of the Dicasteries for the Doctrine of the Faith, for Interreligious Dialogue, and for Promoting Christian Unity.
On the day of the document’s publication, Wednesday Sep 16, the Cardinals highlight the key points of the document: reaffirming the Second Vatican Council Fathers’ vision of a Church that engages in dialogue with everyone—an urgent dialogue amidst the challenges of our times.
Cardinal Fernandez: ‘All religions stand for peace’
Today, in fact, says Cardinal Fernández in his interview, “a terrible individualism and an equally pernicious form of self-worship have spread—and continue to spread, leading everyone, to a greater or lesser degree, to withdraw into themselves and to think that others simply do not exist.”
The Church, he continues, stands against these trends, encountering the faithful of other religious traditions and emphasizing the “natural desire” for dialogue and collaboration. Above all, he affirms that “all religions stand for peace, never for war”.
Cardinal Koch: Antisemitism is incompatible with following Christ
Focusing especially on the relationships between Jews and Christians, Cardinal Koch notes the “sorrowful tension” Christians experience that arises due to “their bond with the Christian people and their ethical obligation toward those suffering in Gaza”.
“We must speak honestly with one another about this new situation”, he says.
While insisting that “it is impossible to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and at the same time an antisemite”, the Cardinal reaffirms the Holy See’s conviction “that only the creation of two states can bring peace to the Middle East”.
Cardinal Koovakad: Dialogue remains a ‘constitutive dimension’ of mission
For his part, Cardinal Koovakad recalls not only the great interreligious encounters that have produced joint declarations, but also “concrete appeals and forms of cooperation” on behalf of migrants, refugees, and victims of conflicts, as well as those who suffer religious discrimination.
This, he says, is a sign of the fruits of Nostra aetate, which is not “an isolated text”, but instead “an institutional and theological ‘mustard seed’” that has made dialogue “a constitutive dimension of the evangelizing mission”.
The Cardinal says his Dicastery continues to work to ensure that “fraternity does not remain on paper, but becomes a lived pedagogy in local Churches, schools, and families”. – Vatican News
