Interfaith Dialogue

Today's world

Our ordinary, everyday experience tells us we can no longer think merely in terms of Western history or Christian history, for the Christian view is no longer normative in the modern western world. Pluralism is internalized in our modern global consciousness. The multiplicity of religions is not an evil to be removed but a wealth to be enjoyed. There is a call for religions to discover what is most authentic in each other, which in turn will reveal just how complex is our religious consciousness.

When Christians now raise questions about Christ, they must also ask, what is the relationship of Christ to Buddhist history, Hindu history, or Sufi history, to name but a few. There is a global consciousness that all religions are beginning to share. Interreligious dialog is a response to this emerging global consciousness.

The meeting of the world religions in mutual respect, understanding and collaboration is a positive influence towards a just peace between nations and care for our planet earth; it offers too the possibility of sharing the consciousness of the other and so returning enriched to one's own religious tradition . It is recognized that dialogue with the other generally brings about a more profound appreciation of one's own religious heritage rather than a desire to convert to the other. Dialogue is a search for understanding rather than a search for agreement. "God is leading us to encounter one another in the very place where we differ . That means we know where we are starting from, but not where we will end up. God leads us to encounter one another precisely where we differ because the divine will is that we be united in our differences."

Our Call

The Second Vatican Council, in its document on interreligious dialogue, 'Nostra Aetate', gave the impetus for the Church's present active and generous engagement in interreligious dialogue. The late Pope John Paul II spoke of the different religions as the work of the Holy Spirit: "It must first be kept in mind that every quest of the human spirit for truth and goodness, and in the last analysis, for God, is inspired by the Holy Spirit. The various religions arose precisely from this primordial human openness to God."

The Divine Word Missionaries state very clearly, in the document of their last General Chapter, 2006, how essential dialogue is to their calling: "Dialogue is an attitude of solidarity, respect, and love that is to permeate all of our activities" (General Chapter Statement, 2006). This is in imitation of the Divine Word who crossed over from the divine world to become human in our world. Here is our model.