ELECTION 99
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Pope will stress on inter-faith dialogue

Archna Sachdev in New Delhi

Pope John Paul-II, who visits India for the second time from November 5 to 8, is a votary of inter-faith dialogue and has spoken highly of this country's rich cultural and religious pluralism.

During his previous ten-day visit to India in 1986, the Pope had expressed his ''sincere interest in all religions of India - an interest marked by genuine respect, by attention to what we have in common, by a desire to promote inter-religious dialogue and fruitful collaboration between people of different faiths.''

Father Dominique Emmanuel, spokesman for the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, recalled that during his last visit, the Pope also spoke of his deep interest in the various cultures of India, which he said reflected a fine blending of the old and the new.

''My visit to India is a pilgrimage of good will and peace, and the fulfilment of a desire to experience personally the very soul of your country,'' the Pope said during his last visit.

Driving straight to Raj Ghat from the airport on his arrival here, the Pope said that India had much to offer to the world in the task of understanding man and the truth of his existence. Warmly praising Mahatma Gandhi as the apostle of non-violence, the Pope said that it was his ''firm conviction'' that the peace and justice of which contemporary society had great need will only be achieved along the path which was the core of the Mahatma's teaching.

A strong votary of inter-faith dialogue, Pope John Paul-II has often said that in the world today, there was a need for all religions to collaborate in the cause of humanity, and to do this from the viewpoint of the spiritual nature of man.

''Today, as Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsees and Christians, we gather in fraternal love to assert this by our very presence...To work for the attainment and preservation of all human rights, including the basic right to worship god according to the dictates of an upright conscience and to profess that faith externally, must become ever more a subject of inter-religious collaboration at all levels,'' he said.

Describing India as the cradle of ancient religious traditions, the Pope during his previous visit declared that the Catholic Church, which he heads, recognises the truths that are contained in the religious traditions of India. ''The Church wishes to voice again her true appreciation of the great heritage of the religious spirit that is manifested in your (India's) cultural tradition. The Church's approach to other religions is one of genuine respect with them she seeks mutual collaboration,'' he said.

According to Fr. Emmanuel, the pope firmly believes that dialogues between members of different religions increases and deepens mutual respect and paves the way for relationships that are crucial in solving the problems of human suffering.

The Christian gospel is preached not in order to dominate but to be at the service of people. ''The gospel has come in order to be incarnated in your cultures without doing violence to them. In this process Christian tradition both enriches and is in turn enriched by the contact with the many values that are preserved in the hearts of the peoples,'' the pope has said.

UNI

ALSO SEE:
Pope to celebrate Diwali with mass
Pope recalls Gandhi, Mother Teresa
Pope to underline dialogue with other religions

Tell us what you think of this report