Serving a Wounded Humanity: Towards Interreligious Solidarity

shaking hands with the popeThe World Council of Churches (WCC) Office for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue met on 10 December to reflect on their next joint project entitled “Serving a Wounded Humanity: Towards Interreligious Solidarity.”


The World Council of Churches (WCC) Office for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue met on 10 December to reflect on their next joint project entitled “Serving a Wounded Humanity: Towards Interreligious Solidarity.”

They were joined by a number of Catholic and Protestant experts and professionals, representatives from some of the dicasteries of the Holy See and Pontifical universities, diplomatic corps, religious missionaries and Christian charities.

The president of the Pontifical Council, Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, in his opening address, welcomed the delegates and affirmed that this gathering of experts from the different Christian churches provided the “opportunity to enhance the ecumenical dimension of our common service in the realm of interreligious dialogue.”

Guixot said that “dialogue demands, first of all, to be fully identified with one’s own identity and then opening oneself to the other through listening.” He pointed out that such dialogue opened “the possibility of rediscovering oneself” as well as finding a common platform that is built up of difference  as well as commonalities through which faith can work together in the common adventure known as dialogue.

Rev. Dr Peniel Rajkumar, WCC programme coordinator for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation, expressed the confidence that this next joint project will be “a meaningful milestone in the joint Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace.” Rajkumar also pointed out how the WCC’s programmatic focus on the theme of Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace “reiterated the indispensability of what has been called as ‘dialogue of the hands’ where we work hand in hand with all people of faith and good will  – towards justice and peace.” Rajkumar also reaffirmed the need for solidarity with the margins – the victims of injustice and violence “who, bring a deeply different, and often disturbing, awareness and analysis of injustice and violence, and have the capacity to inspire alternative visions of justice and peace.”

 

Lunch Of Pope Francis With The Leaders Of The World Council Of Churches © Vatican Media
Lunch with the Pope: Pope Francis With The Leaders Of The World Council Of Churches © Vatican Media