REFORMING CHURCH FOR
PLURI-FAITH CO-EXISTENCE
…for a culture of dialogue in the Church
“Dialogue, dialogue, dialogue… It is the
only way for individuals, families, and
societies to grow along with the culture
of encounter, a culture in which all
have something good to give and all
can receive something good in return.”
Pope Francis
He says pluralism is good. This message is
particularly relevant today in a world, that is
becoming increasingly homogenous, where
cultural and religious differences are being
blurred and religious traditions are under
threat of extinction.
We are now coming to value
diversity as something potentially
enriching and even uniting at a
higher level of union.
Such a awareness makes us
accepting of what we do not
understand and respectful of
what we disagree with.
We are beginning to realise that
uniformity is not the only or the
most creative response to
difference.
Such an enriching ‘communion’ or
common union must inspire us not
just to a ‘unity in diversity’, that
accept and respects differences, but
rather to a ‘diversity in unity’, that
appreciates and celebrates
difference. (Kothari 1988:20)
Only then we can experience a
metanoia in ourselves that will
free us from the paranoia we
have of each other.
WHAT IS DIALOGUE?
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What is Dialogue?
• Dialogue and conversation are
intrinsic to the human condition,
• The very language of our existence,
• The essential hermeneutic of all our
experience
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Dialectic Vs Dialogue
• Dialectics is one position against
the other?
• Dialectic is the optimism of reason,
• Dialogue is the optimism of the
heart
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Dialectic Vs Dialogue
• Dialectical dialogue is the
encounter of ideologies
• Dialogical dialogue is the
meetings of hearts/myths
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HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
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Christian Beliefs and Attitudes that shaped our
relationship with other religions are:
Outside the Church no salvation
Persecution of Jews
Clash of Empires
Colonialism
Legacy
• Mistrust
• Suspicion
• Animosity
• Unresolved feeling
EARLY INITIATIVES
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P.D.DEVANANDAN
STANLEY SAMARTHA
WESLEY
ARIARAJA
IN FACT, ANYONE WHO HAS A REALISTIC
ASSESSMENT OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN
WOULD SEE THE URGENCY OF A WIDER
ECUMENISM OF RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS.
HISTORICALLY RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS
HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE
FRAGMENTATION OF THE WORLD. OFTEN
THEIR HISTORY WITH EACH OTHER HAS
BEEN MARKED BY RIVALRY, MUTUAL
EXCLUSION, CONFLICT AND OUTRIGHT
WARS.
Pope John XXIII
Ecclesia and Synagoga
Cardinal Bea and Rabbi Heschel
Vatican Council II 1963-1965
Nostra Aetate
October 28, 1965
BASIC THOUGHTS
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Exhortation to Dialogue
“The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons,
that through dialogue and collaboration
with the followers of other religions, carried
out with prudence and love and in witness
to the Christian faith and life, they
recognize, preserve and promote the good
things, spiritual and moral, as well as the
socio-cultural values found among these
men.” (2)
Exhortation to Reconciliation
“Since in the course of centuries not a few
quarrels and hostilities have arisen between
Christians and Moslems, this sacred synod
urges all to forget the past and to work
sincerely for mutual understanding and to
preserve as well as to promote together for the
benefit of all mankind social justice and moral
welfare, as well as peace and freedom.” (2)
Exhortation to Justice
“The Church reproves, as foreign
to the mind of Christ, any
discrimination against men or
harassment of them because of
their race, color, condition of life, or
religion.”
OUR INVOLVEMENT
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NOTABLE
INTERVENTIONS
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Unity of the Human Family:
Assisi Prayer for Peace
Unity of the Human Family:
Ground Zero
Recognition:
Growth in the Knowledge of the other
Encounter
Interchange: Sharing Wisdom
Witness to who we are
Witness to who we are together
Dialogue as Evangelization
CRITIQUES
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Interfaith dialogue is not a
movement.
It is at best a collection of scattered
efforts.
Idea of interfaith dialogue is
different from practice of
interfaith dialogue
Doctrinal matters cannot be
negotiated/compromised. So, why
does much interfaith activity focus
on such matters?
Interfaith dialogue is too much of a
head thing and not a heart thing
Are we searching for communal
harmony or truth?
Can we truly claim to represent
‘our own’ communities/’religions’,
or do we represent only ourselves
when we engage in ‘interfaith/intercommunity dialogue’?
Tendency to deny the uniqueness
of each religion and to create
misleading image that all religions
are in harmony, that they are the
same & that they teach the same
things or are different paths to
same goal.
Is this intellectually honest?
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Does this make us feel we need to
compromise on what we believe to
be Absolute Truth and to claim that
all truth-claims are the same or that
truth is relative? What does this
mean for our faith commitment?
What impact can it have for our life
of faith
Are we theologically faithful?
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Does a dominant form of interfaith
‘dialogue’ make us feel compelled to
water-down our faith commitment and
our conviction in the uniqueness of our
faith in order to create an image of
‘harmony’ and appear ‘politically
correct’?
Are we 'politically correct'?
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Cost-benefit analysis: What is
invested (money, time, energy,
human resources) in our interfaith
efforts & what is the output?
CHALLENGES
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Why not dialogue on other
issues—such as issues of common
social/human concern—where both
unity as well as
compromise/negotiation are
possible?
Multi-faith living, rather than seminars
about dialogue—is that the way both
for harmony and for silent
proclamation?
Contrast this with ‘too much’
talking of standard interfaith
activities and no shared living
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Is interfaith as practiced an elitist
affair, restricted to seminars,
workshops and, engaged in by socalled ‘experts’?
How to make it part of one’s own
spiritual growth, rather than just an
intellectual exercise?
What about making it more massbased—in terms of location of
events and participants?
Success of any action—including
interfaith efforts—depends on
intention of those engaged in it.
Why are we engaged in it? Is it a
spiritual quest or a project that needs
to be implemented?
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Seventh
Ten questions
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1

HOW DO WE KNOW
WHAT WE KNOW IS
TRUE?
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• We believe in God
• Do we know God?
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2

WHO AM
I?
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3

HOW DO I LOOK
AT OTHERS?
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How do we look at "others"
• Enemy of God?
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How do we look at "others"
• Superstition?
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How do we look at "others"
• Primitive practices?
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How do we look at "others"
• Potential Converts?
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How do we look at "others"

Aliens?
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4
How do I put my
Scripture among other
Scriptures?

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5

How do I put my
GOD among other
gods?
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6

How do I put my
saviour among other
saviours?
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7

How do I put my
Church among
other worship
places?
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8

How do I put the
Kingdom of God
among other
Kingdoms?
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9

Can we have
multiple
belongings?
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We in India live in different
centuries
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10
Can we move from
orchestrated engagement to
Accidental encounrter
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WE ARE INVITED TO
RESPOND........
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Three Challenges ‘In Our Time’
Countering the Superficial
developmental aggression
Solidarity with the suffering
Care for the environment
Refugee Crisis
Our Common Home
Culture of Dialogue
WE ARE NOT INVITED
TO.......
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We are not invited to "live
together separately"
We are not invited to be
"honest"
But "brutally honest"
In his speech Pope Francis to pre-conclave
general congregation of cardinals, he left
us a compelling image of Jesus of this
Church-for-the-world, "in which Jesus
knocks from within so that we will let him
go out."
THANK YOU
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