Asian bishops in Thailand to hold interreligious talks

(July 10, 2010) The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue is organizing a meeting in Thailand next week with Asian bishops to discuss dialogue with non-Christians. Council president Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran is heading a 5 member team for the July 12-18 meeting at Baan Phu Waan Pastoral Center in Sam Phran, outside Bangkok. Thirty-six Church officials, mainly bishops who are mostly heads of the bishops’ commissions for interreligious dialogue in their own countries are participating. The representatives are from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. They are scheduled to report on three areas of dialogue in their own countries: “Christian Dialogue with Buddhists, Taoists, Confucianists and Shintoists,” “Christian Dialogue with Hindus, Sikhs and Jains,” and “Dialogue with Muslims.” This is the fifth meeting of the pontifical council with its Asian consulters. The first such meeting in 1988, was also held in Thailand. Members of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue visited Indonesia last year, from Nov. 24-Dec. 1, and met Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim leaders.