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Westminster Interfaith Newsletter
Issue 66 – May 2010
The Church is universal
Greetings to all Christians celebrating Eastertide; a Happy New Year to the Sikh community, who celebrated Vaisakhi Day on the 14th April; to the Baha'i community, who celebrate 12 days of Ridvan from 21 April to 2 May; to the Buddhist community for Vaisakhi; and to the Jewish community for Shavuot (Pentecost).
For Christians, Eastertide is a time of special graces when collectively we rejoice in the Risen Lord and look forward to celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit on Jesus' disciples on the day of Pentecost. Let us remember that the Holy Spirit blows where it wills and is present in all people irrespective of their religious tradition.
Recently, I was asked by members of World Vision (Lebanon) why we often publish articles relating to events around the world and not stick to local issues. There are many reasons for this. First of all, although we live in an environment with probably the greatest variety of religious groups anywhere in the world, we do not receive masses of home-grown news on inter-faith matters; not news that the Catholic Church is involved in anyway. It does not mean nothing is happening. We just don't always receive the information. Of course, there are exceptions, like last year, during Inter-Faith Week, when there was almost too much activity to write about. In fact, we had to spread the material over two issues and left a lot out. Perhaps, it is also an indication that, although the Church teaches quite clearly that Catholics should be involved in inter-religious dialogue at all levels, we tend to shy away from it or it has become so much part of our everyday life that we don't give it a second thought. Furthermore, the media, in general, do not report regularly on inter-faith activities, unless they involve scandal or conflict. The media seem to prefer to report the 'bad news' rather than the 'good news'. It is a shame because there is probably more good inter-faith news to write about than bad news. That is why we encourage you to write to us whenever you are involved in inter-faith activities. Everybody wants to hear about them. Many thanks to those who contribute fairly regularly.
Whatever the reasons for this apparent absence of local interest, it is our role to help Christians deepen their own faith by promoting greater awareness of other faiths, through dialogue, prayer and action, in accordance with the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and the Popes. This is what we try to do in the newsletter and through the various activities we organise, like the multi-faith pilgrimage. Reporting on events in other countries is an excellent way of communicating the Church's teaching in this field, especially where examples of good practice are involved or when the Pope and Catholic Bishops make relevant statements regarding inter-religious relations. We live in a global society. What happens in one part of the world usually affects all the other parts. This was certainly true of the events of 9/11 and is particularly relevant today as we face the consequences of the volcanic eruption in Iceland, which has left thousands of people stranded, unable to get home, because of the cloud of volcanic ash which has disrupted air travel everywhere.
A similar reasoning can be applied to the Church of Christ, which is universal. It is the Body of Christ. As St Paul says: "If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it" (1 Cor. 12, 26). This analogy of the Body of Christ can be extended to include all human beings, irrespective of their religious allegiance or lack of it. We are called to love one another. That means taking an interest in people, talking to them and making their concerns our own. It is useful to be able to share with people of different cultures and faiths, from India and Pakistan, Nigeria or Sudan issues and events, which affect them personally, and are often inadequately reported by the media, if at all.
In this issue, there is a balance of local and world news. We draw your attention particularly to two new publications from the Bishops' Conference: Benchmark, which includes issues and questions for Parliamentary candidates; Meeting God in Friend and Stranger, the long-awaited Catholic teaching document on inter-religious dialogue; the forthcoming London multi-faith pilgrimage for peace as well as the many useful articles of dialogue and co-operation across the religious divide including how Marian feasts and shrines have contributed to building unity among people. Peace and Joy to all our readers.
Jon
