Faith Finding a Voice by Cardinal Vincent Nichols

Author:Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

The Holy Father adding:

Our diversity in religious and ethical beliefs calls upon all of us to foster genuine fraternal dialogue and to give special consideration to what human beings have in common and to what promotes fellowship among them.22

These ideas help towards understanding religious and political cultures, very different from our own, and assist in building harmonious relationships with the countries of the Far East.

Mention could also be made of the Church’s relationships with other religious communities, such as the Jains, Baha’is and Zoroastrians,23 with whom I have enjoyed a spiritually engaging and formative evening. I could continue with references to other such communities, but I must now consider my third theme: the call to dialogue.

What we have learned from our researching of the essential unity of humanity and religious diversity is that inter-religious dialogue requires both an honest witnessing to personal belief and also an attitude of profound willingness to listen to the belief of another. We have to engage in this dialogue with charity and with humility. We must do so because the witness of this creative dialogue is a vital factor in our search for peace and stability in our world and our society. Such dialogue is a positive contribution to the community, demonstrating that religious belief is a force for good, that religion is not inimical to our humanity but springs from the quest for truth rooted in the spirit of every human being. The witness to this truth is today very important, given that many voices denounce religious belief as divisive and demeaning.

During his visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010, Pope Benedict reaffirmed our commitment to the importance of undertaking inter-religious dialogue. Addressing representatives of other religions on Friday 17 September at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, he said:

Let me assure you that the Catholic Church follows the path of engagement and dialogue out of a genuine sense of respect for you and your beliefs. Catholics, both in Britain and throughout the world, will continue to work to build bridges of friendship to other religions, to heal past wrongs and to foster trust between individuals and communities.24

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