Interfaith meeting concludes in Varanasi ‎

An interfaith gathering of Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain spiritual leaders, organized by the Catholic Church concluded on  Monday in Varanasi, the northern Indian city holy to Hindus, to "celebrate religious diversity to promote a world of peace and love".   The Feb. 14-16 gathering was organized to mark the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of the 1965 declaration of ‘Nostra Aetate’, the Second Vatican declaration on the Catholic Church’s relations with non-Christian ‎religions.

"The purpose and goal of our dialogue in Varanasi is to spread a message of peace, which is the 'primary good of mankind',"  said Indian Archbishop Felix Machado of Vasai Diocese, the President of the Office for interreligious dialogue for the Catholic Bishops 'Conference of India (CBCI) and the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC).  A Vatican delegation from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the Apostolic Nuncio to India, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, and several Indian bishops participated in the meeting.  Archbishop Machado said “Inter-religious dialogue is not something new that the church has undertaken but is a part of the Christian faith.” (Source: AsiaNews)