In this month of October, Pope Leo XIV invites us to pray for collaboration between different religious traditions.
Since his election as pope, Leo XIV has signalled very early on that he sees inter-religious dialogue as a crucial pathway to peace in our world, following the tradition set by his predecessors, especially since the Second Vatican Council.
In this prayer intention for October, the Holy Father leaves us with an important reminder central to inter-religious dialogue, that we are indeed all loved as children of God, across all faith traditions. In his prayer intention, we are reminded also that if we are willing to work together for the common good, our God will in turn make us signs of unity and artisans for peace.
Pope Leo XIV reflected this same message in an audience with ambassadors to the Holy See, just weeks into his papacy. He told the diplomats that all religious traditions see peace as a gift and that “inter-religious dialogue can make a fundamental contribution to fostering a climate of peace”.
The Pope’s celebration of inter-religious dialogue in nurturing peace comes as we mark the 60th anniversary this month of the landmark Vatican II document, Nostra Aetate, the Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions.
Proclaimed by Pope Paul VI in October 1965, this document marked a major turning point for the relationship between Christianity and other religious faiths. It has in turn helped to guide inter-religious dialogue for the past six decades.
Nostra Aetate emphasises that the Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in other religions. Nostra Aetate also celebrates the deep spiritual heritage Christianity shares with Judaism and condemns displays of anti-Semitism and all forms of ethno-religious discrimination.
The Catholic Church in Australia is putting the message of Nostra Aetate firmlyinto practice, six decades on, especially through a focus on personal encounter and friendship.
For the past 14 years, the Archbishop of Sydney has hosted an Iftar Dinner at his home, Cathedral House. The dinner honours the Muslim community as members of one of the great Abrahamic faiths and invites representatives from other faiths to join with them.
The evening has become a most significant interfaith event that our Archdiocese hosts each year, and we look forward to welcoming guests from many different faith traditions, including our Jewish brothers and sisters, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and members of the Bah’hai faith.
As St Mary MacKillop reminded us, “In unity, lies our strength”. St Mary appreciated that all members of humanity are loved as children of God. We are called then, as Pope Leo XIV has also reminded us, to embrace inter-religious dialogue to help us better appreciate the bonds that unite us which in turn can help us to nurture a more peaceful world.
Sr Giovanni Farquer rsj
Commission for Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Relations
Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney