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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “L’Osservatore Romano” has made it possible for Agenzia Fides to publish the entire text of the speech given by Archbishop Angelo Amato, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the opening of the Academic Year 2007-2008 in the Theological Institute of Assisi. Its theme was: “The document Dominus Iesus and the other religions.” The translations into other languages was made by Agenzia Fides and have not been revised by the author.
Epistemology of interreligious dialogue
In recent years, Catholic theology developed a form of interreligious dialogue the epistemology of which is still at the initial stage. Unlike ecumenical dialogue, which has a solid and shared platform of Trinitarian and Christological faith, consisting of Baptism, the Scriptures and the Creed, interreligious dialogue, has none of this, instead it is based on the fact that all believers are members of the same humanity and every human person is open to the ascetic and spiritual dimension (for these considerations, cfr document Dialogue and Proclamation. Reflections and Guidelines on interreligious Dialogue and Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, issued jointly in 1991 by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples).
Here too we can distinguish «dialogue of charity» from «dialogue of truth». The former can be realised concretely in two ways, in life and in action.
«Dialogue of life» exists when people strive to live with their minds open to others and ready to share their joys and sorrows, difficulties and anxieties. In concrete, dialogue of life entails reciprocal acceptance of and respect for the other person, as a human being, free to make his own decisions.
«Dialogue of action» exists when Christians and believers of other faiths work together to promote integral development and liberation of their neighbour. In concrete, dialogue of action is explicated in cooperation with followers of other religions to promote peace among peoples, justice, protection of the environment, promotion of the values of natural law shared by all humanity. See in this regard, the The Assisi Decalogue for Peace, addressed and sent by John Paul II to all heads of state and government in 2002.
This dialogue of charity— which can also be called «spirit» of dialogue — exemplary of human and Christian concreteness, is amply testified by the ecclesial community all over the world and in many different ways. Nevertheless, we must admit, it often lacks adequate reciprocity.
Besides interreligious dialogue of charity, there is also «interreligious dialogue of truth», which in turn can be articulated in two forms, theological dialogue and spiritual dialogue.
«Dialogue of theological discussion» exists when experts seek to deepen their understanding of their respective doctrines highlighting the values contained therein. This is doctrinal dialogue which compares and assesses different religious beliefs. Again this dialogue cannot be generic, it must be bilateral. It is moreover a dialogue which demands considerable competence and perfect knowledge of personal identity and that of the other party. This dialogue is made more difficult by diverse articulations and notable differences within both the great world religions and traditional religions: for example, Hinayan Buddhism is different from Mahayan or Tantrayan Buddhism; just as in Hinduism, there are three distinct «great Hindu religions»: Visnuism, Shivaism and Shaktism. Therefore doctrinal dialogue, needs to take into account the variety and specificity of the interlocutors.
A second implementation of interreligious dialogue of truth is «dialogue of religious experience or spirituality», when individuals, rooted in their respective religious traditions, share their spiritual riches, for example in the field of prayer and contemplation, faith and the manner of seeking God or the Absolute. Here we are at the heart of every religious expression or experience which, as such, is difficult to access for those who approach it only for knowledge or study.
This twofold dialogue of the truth, doctrinal and spiritual, requires competence and estimative wisdom. It cannot be undertaken in a generic manner, it must take into account the specific interlocutor; or only in a phenomenological manner. Gestures of worship common to humanity — as they are described by cultural anthropology— do not necessarily have the same religious and spiritual meaning.
Cardinal Francis Arinze, for many years head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, clarifies some points on the subject: «Words such as God, Divine Person, soul, heaven, salvation, redemption, perfection, grace, merit, charity, sin and hell do not necessarily means the same thing for Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or followers of traditional African religions. If these words are used at interreligious meetings, care must be taken to explain their significance» (Francis Arinze, Meeting other believers, Vendrame Institute Publications, Shillong, 1998, p. 24).
Cardinal Arinze also urges Christian theologians not to mask their identity: «Christians involved in interreligious relations, who tend to hide their Christian identity or at least water it down a little, would seem to say without words, that Christ is an obstacle or a problem for dialogue, and that they have found a better formula for contact with others which consists in momentarily putting aside the fact that they are sent by Christ (...). If we are Catholics we should not hide this when we meet other believers. We cannot promote real dialogue by suppressing our own religious identity. If one of the interlocutors loses his religious identity, then there is no one with whom to dialogue. If our partner hides his identity, this can lead to different forms of misunderstandings, suspicions, false identities, the impression that we agree when in fact we do not». (Ivi, p. 23).
More concretely: «A Catholic who meets a Muslim should not diminish the importance of his faith in the Most Holy Trinity (three Persons in One God), in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and God, in the Son of God who became man and died on the cross to save the whole human race, in the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. Muslims do not accept these doctrines. But a sincere Muslim interlocutor should not be annoyed if Catholics believe this. On the other hand, a Muslim in dialogue should not hesitate to affirm that Muslims consider the Koran to be the ultimate revelation of God and that Mohammed is the greatest and the last of the prophets. Buddhists do not speak about God or the soul, but Christians would be inauthentic if they did not speak about this. Sincerity about one's religion is part of dialogue» (Ivi, p. 24).
Being faithful to one's religious identity is the best passport for entering the religious territory of other believers and for dialoguing in freedom and truth.
A final consideration concerns the goal of interreligious dialogue, which is not the communion of all humanity in one religion which includes syncretistically elements of the different religions. The purpose of interreligious dialogue is above all the common promotion of peace, understanding and collaboration among peoples. Furthermore dialogue, cannot and must not exclude conversion of individuals to the truth and to the Christian faith, with respect for the freedom and dignity of every person.
Paradoxically however, in a certain form of Catholic theology of religions — and also in a certain form of «pastoral» activity — interreligious dialogue, unlike ecumenical dialogue, seems to have reached the end of the line, with the conviction that all religions are ways to salvation. (7 - to be continued) (Agenzia Fides 28/3/2008; righe 103, parole 1217)
