Deepavali 2010 Message from the Pontifical Council for Inter Religious Dialogue

(October 28, 2010) The Vatican has invited Hindus and Christians to enhance mutual respect, trust and cooperation in the field of integral human development. The call came in the message by the Pontifical Council for Inter Religious Dialogue for this year’s deepavali or festival of lights celebrated on the fifth of November by Hindus worldwide, particularly in India. “Respect is the proper regard for the dignity which naturally pertains to every person irrespective of any external recognition; Dignity implies the inalienable right of every individual to be protected from any kind of violence, neglect or indifference; and Mutual respect, therefore, becomes one of the fundamentals for peaceful and harmonious co-existence as well as progress in society,” Council president Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, and Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, Secretary who signed the message said. “Trust, on the other hand” they continued, “nourishes every genuinely human relationship, both personal and communitarian. Mutual trust, besides creating an environment conducive to growth and the common good, shapes a shared conviction that we can depend on each other to achieve a common purpose.” Further, this shared conviction creates in individuals and communities a readiness and willingness to enter into productive cooperation not only in the area of doing good in general, but also, addressing the grave and unresolved challenges of our times. When applied to our engagement in appreciating and promoting interreligious dialogue and relations, we well know that respect and trust are not optional extras but the very pillars on which the edifice of our engagement itself stands, the message said. This is an invitation towards that integral growth and in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “together to become artisans of peace, in a reciprocal commitment to understanding, respect and love,” the message said.