‘Let us promote harmony in diversity’

The message of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue to the Hindu communities celebrating the Festival of Lights during these hours: “Fill your hearts with peace. We must all work against religious fundamentalism, extremism, fanaticism, racism and hypernationalism, to break down stereotypes and promote respect.

Vatican City () – “With the immense potential that religions have to create conditions conducive to harmony in society, all religious leaders have the sacred duty to encourage their followers to strive for harmony.” This is the common commitment that the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue proposes to Christians and Hindus in the annual message on the occasion of Diwali, the festival of lights that the Hindu world will celebrate in the coming hours. The text, signed by Card. Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, prefect of the Vatican organization, and by the secretary Mons. Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage – bears the title ‘Hindus and Christians: promoting harmony in the midst of diversity and despite differences’.

“May God, source of light, fill your minds and hearts with peace and joy, and your families and communities with grace and happiness,” the Vatican wished all Hindus.

“Our cities and nations are increasingly heterogeneous,” recall those responsible for the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. People of different cultures, religions, ethnicities, languages ​​and ideologies live together, by choice or by chance, almost all over the world. Many see this diversity as a great source of growth, learning and mutual enrichment. At the same time, in some parts of the world it is also rejected, because it is considered a potential threat to harmony, which could even lead to conflict.”

Concerned about this problem, the dicastery proposes some reflections on how Christians and Hindus can promote harmony. “In the divine project – the message continues – diversity and differences should not be a threat to anyone’s existence, but rather a gift for harmonious coexistence.” Unfortunately, however, this divine vision “is replaced by ideologies that favor exclusion, discrimination and conformism both at the individual and collective level. Religious fundamentalism, extremism, fanaticism, racism and hypernationalism in different parts of the world These are some examples of ideologies that destroy harmony and give rise to suspicions, prejudices, mistrust, hatred and fear among people, preventing them from forging bonds that sustain humanity, fraternity and social friendship.”

That is why it is urgent to rediscover God’s plan for humanity, nurturing fraternity, as Pope Francis indicated in his recent apostolic trip to Asia: “We must all work to break stereotypes, foster empathy, sensitivity and respect for who are different from us. We also need to promote dialogue at all levels for greater awareness, understanding and appreciation of the richness of diversity and differences.”

“As believers rooted in our respective religious traditions and as people who share the commitment to strengthen harmonious coexistence in society – the message concludes – we, Christians and Hindus, can ally ourselves with people of other religious traditions and with people of good will and do everything possible to promote harmony in the midst of diversity.