Meeting God in Friend and Stranger
“[As religion is so close to people’s heart] any
activity that promotes respect and better
understanding among believers must contribute to
peace, at a time when justice and peace are so
threatened.”
o Interreligious dialogue as a real challenge
o Church as the sign and instrument of
communication with God and one another
o Importance of ecumenical work
Structure of the Document
1. What is Interreligious Dialogue?
2. The Changing Face of Britain
3. Dialogue in the Teaching of the Catholic Church
4. Prayer and Worship
5. Interreligious Marriage
6. At the Local Level
1. What is Interreligious Dialogue?
“…means not only discussion, but also includes all positive
and constructive interreligious relations with individuals and
communities of other faiths which are directed at mutual
understanding and enrichment” (Dialogue and Mission)
• Dialogue of action and academic dialogue
• On the one hand: open attitude
• On the other: responsibility to voice any doubts or
misgivings about the other’s position
• Dialogue won’t always be met with enthusiasm, requires
openness
• There are “rays” and “seeds” of truth in other religions –
although we need to be cautious in identifying them
2. The Changing Face of Britain
• Other
religions are more visible – increased self-confidence,
which can frighten people
• Globalisation with its advantages and disadvantages
• ‘Privatisation’ of faith
• Church supports freedom from persecution and prejudice; and
rejects relativism (one universal truth that can also be seen in
other religions)
“This Christian witness may well involve facing up to negative
attitudes in ourselves as well as others”
•Catholics need a solid knowledge of their own faith to reach
out to others, as well as patience and an attitude free of
prejudice
“For a Christian, interreligious dialogue is profoundly Christlike work”
Chapter 3: Dialogue in the Teaching of the Catholic
Church
“Interreligious dialogue, which is part of the Church’s evangelising
mission, requires an attitude of understanding and a relationship
of mutual knowledge and reciprocal enrichment, in obedience to
the truth and with respect for freedom” (Dominus Iesus)
Benedict XVI: first priority dialogue with Christians, second
dialogue with other religions
Nostra aetate:
• Firstly relationships with the Jews, in the light of the Holocaust,
but also as a celebration of connectedness (olive tree image)
• “Our dearly beloved brothers” (John Paul II)
• Full acceptance of Judaism (Secretariat for Relations with the
Jews joined with Secretariat for Christian Unity)
3. Dialogue in the Teaching of the Catholic Church (2)
“In all its teaching, the Catholic Church keeps a careful balance
between insisting that God truly wills the eternal salvation of all
people, and insisting with equal force Christ is the one and only
means and mediator of salvation.”
 Unity of the human race
 The need to be open to all that is true and holy in other religions
 Call to dialogue
3. Dialogue in the Teaching of the Catholic Church (3)
Unity
“The differences are a less important element, when
confronted with the unity which is radical, fundamental and
decisive” (John Paul II)
• All people are created in the image of God, and there is
only one plan for humankind
• All have equal rights and dignity
• Religious freedom: Right and obligation to pursue the
truth (DH)
• Equality as a precondition for dialogue
• Equal validity of participants, not of beliefs
• Shared questions
Openness to what is true and holy
o “a ray of the one truth”, “seeds of the word”
o Finding a balance between affirmative statements and what
is lacking
o No superiority of Christians: “What Christians have
received is totally unmerited on their part. It is an assertion
rather of the bountiful goodness of God”
o Presence of saving grace in other religions: Those who do
not know of the Church, but search for God and try to follow
God through their conscience, and those who “have not yet
attained to the express recognition of God yet who strive, not
without divine grace, to lead an upright life”
Openness to what is true and holy (continued)
o The Spirit is at work in all religions
o Through the same spirit, we are “deeply related” and at the
same time “sadly distant”
o The Church has an active role in the salvation of all people,
it is not just passively related
o Special relationship to each religion
o Dialogue with all religions is “appropriate and fruitful”
Call to dialogue
o The call by the Church is a response to the call to the
Church
o Signs of the times: modern communication and
immigration
o Dialogue is not optional, but intrinsic to the Church
EVANGELISING
Wide definition (Christ-like)
PROCLAMATION
Christ has risen
DIALOGUE
Honest witnessing
and sincere listening
Dialogue
o Pope Paul VI: “Dialogue of salvation”, through Christ,
by the Holy Spirit active in the world
o Church’s task to carry this dialogue on and make it
accessible to all
o Loving your neighbour and interreligious dialogue
continues this
o Pragmatic motivation: Danger of terrorism, extremism
o Motivation of entering into God’s story with humankind
– Holy Spirit as motivator and common ground
o First step: convergences and divergences
o Second step: Recognising and confronting God’s
Otherness in the Otherness of other religions
Dialogue (continued)
o Can only take place between people who know about their
religions: “There must be no abandonment of principles or false
irenicism, but instead a witness given and received for mutual
advancement” (RM)
o It is an expression of Christian hope and needs to be carried
out with “prudence and charity” (NA)
o Should be ecumenical: ‘facing outwards together’
Forms of dialogue
 Dialogue of Life
 Dialogue of Action
 Dialogue of Theological Exchange
 Dialogue of Religious Experience
Dialogue (continued)
o Roots in scripture, although ‘defensive’ voices can be louder
o Old testament: Covenant with all survivors of the flood,
appreciation of ‘foreigners’ (e.g. Nineveh)
o New testament: Jesus’ inclusive work
“includes all positive and constructive interreligious relations
with individuals and communities of other faiths which are
directed at mutual understanding and enrichment”
Chapter 4: Prayer and worship
“Every authentic prayer is called forth by the holy spirit”
(John Paul II)
o Need for shared prayer – marriages, funerals, natural
disaster, human conflict, invitations to each other’s places
of worship
o Not Christian, but same movement: prompted by the
Spirit, through Christ to the Father
o Lex orandi, lex credendi: we cannot pray together as we
have different beliefs
o Praying for one another, in presence of and in solidarity
with each other: “We don’t come to pray together, but we
come together to pray”
Chapter 4: Prayer and worship (continued)
Opportunities for this:
 Visits to services of other religions, people of other religions
in Christian services (“respectful presence”)
“Multi-faith pilgrimage”
 Shared response to events (e.g. Holocaust remembrance)
In all:
o Respect for each other’s religious identities, but not
necessarily agreement through presence
o Danger of syncretism to be avoided
o Shared symbolic gestures can be powerful
Chapter 5: Interreligious Marriage
o All marriage: intended and blessed from the beginning,
lifelong and exclusive union with the orientation on the birth
and upbringing of children
o Christian marriage as a sacrament
o Other religions have marriage and family values at their
heart, which are threatened by values of our time
o Intercultural marriages can deepen faith and be an
enrichment
o Respect for both partners’ religious feelings, openness,
adapted ceremonies, continued support for their married life
Chapter 6: At the local level
o Great variations within and between dioceses
o Greater government tendency to value Faith Communities
o Resources: volunteers, buildings, ‘role models’ for
community cohesion
o ‘Local strategic partnership’, all Catholics encouraged to
participate fully
o Dialogue and collaboration between communities: much of
this is specific to lay people
o “Journey of mind and heart” is necessary to see the need for
dialogue
o Youth work, good structures: coordinators, catechetical and
adult education
Chapter 6: At the local level (continued)
o Strong contribution of religious orders (Sisters of Sion,
missionary congregations)
o ‘Faith in the system’: interreligious dialogue within
Catholic schools as well as to the outside
o “Cherishing Education for Human Growth” – learning
from and learning about
o Chaplaincies as places of cooperation
Concluding reflections
“To turn away from even the attempt to dialogue is to despair
of the power of God and of his risen Son to advance his own
Kingdom of peace and love.”
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to
accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or
imagine, to him the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to
all generations, for ever and ever. Amen. (Eph. 3:20-21)