Religions must be channels of peace - Cardinal Tauran

(Nov. 09, 2011) A Vatican official visiting India, has reiterated that “religions are called upon to be channels of peace and unity and not conflict or division. But unfortunately, there has been a tendency among some with vested interests to create distrust between communities in the name of religion.”Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran , President of Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue. said this in his address to a gathering of 40 Catholic and 30 Hindu religious leaders on Tuesday in Pune, Maharashtra State. The November 6-9 meeting is addressing the theme: “Enhancing Hindu-Christian relations and collaboration for justice, peace and harmony.” It is being held at Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Asia’s largest seminary.
The Vatican official urged people to turn their backs on those using religion to spread hate, violence and division in society and to uphold unity and peace. Cardinal Tauran said “if religions worked together they could promote a culture of religious solidarity that will defeat divisive forces and foster love, justice and peace. He noted that despite their differences, Hinduism and Christianity enjoy shared values and visions. Genuine relationships, he added, respect differences “no matter what they are.” Cardinal Tauran hailed the meeting as a sign of hope to recognize what is true, good and holy in each other’s religions to shape a culture of trust and collaboration.