(April 3, 2009) The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue has
invited Christians and Buddhists to work together to witness to a spirit of poverty.
Council president Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran made the exhortation in a message he
released on Friday on the occasion of the feast of Vesakh, a commemoration of the
major events in the life of Buddha. Based on the lunar calendar, Vesakh is celebrated
in Thailand and Japan on April 8, while Korea marks it on May 2. Cardinal Tauran
drew attention to the challenge posed “by the ever more extensive phenomenon of poverty
in its various forms and, on the other hand, by the unbridled pursuit of material
possessions and the pervasive shadow of consumerism.” In the words of Pope Benedict
XVI, he said, “poverty can be of two very different types, namely, a poverty “to be
chosen” and a poverty “to be fought.” For a Christian, he said, the poverty to be
chosen is that which allows one to tread in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. It helps
the heart detach itself from earthly possessions and opens it to God and neighbour.
The other poverty that God does not desire, he pointed out, is one that “prevents
people and families from living as befits their dignity; a poverty that offends justice
and equality and that, as such, threatens peaceful co-existence.” Furthermore, he
noted, “in advanced wealthy societies, there is evidence of marginalization, as well
as affective, moral, and spiritual poverty, seen in people whose interior lives are
disoriented and who experience various forms of malaise despite their economic prosperity.”
By embracing poverty, Cardinal Tauran said, Buddhist monks, nuns, and many lay devotees
also offer an “inspiring witness of non-attachment and contentment.” This, he said,
nourishes the human heart spiritually, enriches life substantially with a deeper insight
into the meaning of existence, and sustains commitment to promoting the goodwill of
the whole human community.