Interreligious Dialogue Run Amok
Here are excerpts from an interview with Cardinal Tauran, president of Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, posted on terrasanta.net. The Council is about to release new guidelines on interreligious dialogue. Cdl. Tauran was appointed by Pope Benedict in July 2007. (The interviewer is in italics, bold emphasis added.)
Will there be a special emphasis on Islam in these guidelines?
No, it has to have regard for all religions. What was interesting about our discussions was that we did not concentrate on Islam because in a way we are being held hostage by Islam a little bit. Islam is very important but there are also other great Asiatic religious traditions. Islam is one religion.
There was a sense that Islam mustn't monopolise the proceedings?
Yes, the people are obsessed by Islam. For example I'm going to India next month and I want to give this message that all religions are equal. Sometimes there are priorities because of particular situations, but we mustn't get the impression there are first class religions and second class religions.
But some religions are more equal than others, right Cardinal?
And also the Christian message of forgiveness is so important to keep there, isn't it, in the sense that the other religions don't have such a powerful message of reconciliation?
Yes, forgiveness and compassion are things we will discuss with the Saudi Arabian delegation. It is typically Christian yes, forgiveness and compassion. In the Koran there is compassion, but Christ dying on the Cross has more intensity.
The Cardinal must have taken a "comparative religions" class in college.
What were the main achievements from the meeting, in your view?
First of all, we stated the point that there are so many things we have in common with other believers, for example that we all believe in one God, that we profess the same sacredness of life, the necessity of fraternity, the experience of prayer. Because it's very important to stress that interreligious dialogue is not a sociological analysis or a political strategy; it's a religious activity and the language of the religion is prayer so we have always to stress this point. Also we stressed the formation of youth because we realise that in the society in which we live, in multi-ethnical, multicultural societies, the young generation are perhaps lost. So we have to give them points of reference and religions are obviously very important in that. So as Pope said in his speech, the there is this necessity of formation for priests, seminarians and also ordinary people... This is something new, and it is a consequence of the world in which we live.
Can't argue with that, now, can you? Just keep repeating to yourself, this is a prince of the Church speaking, appointed by Pope Benedict.
Seems there's a wee bit of a heresy problem in the Vatican, no?
Comments (3)
To give the cardinal the benefit of the doubt, he probably didn't mean to say that the Catholic Church is equal to other religions. But what did he mean? Does he think that a religion that says you can torch your wife (Hinduism, Islam) is on a par with a nonviolent Protestant heresy like Methodism?
Does he speak like someone who believes that Jesus Christ is the only name by which we can be saved? Does he sound like he believes that submission to the pope is absolutely necessary for salvation?
Posted by Cyprian
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June 11, 2008 11:09 PM
Posted on June 11, 2008 23:09
I wonder if there is a patron saint for the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. I have my doubts and suggest Saint Peter Marvimenus who is mentioned in the Roman Martyrology for February 20th as follows:
At Damascus (in the year 743), Saint Peter Mavimenus. Some Arabs came to see him while he was ill, and to them he said, “Whoever does not embrace the Catholic Christian religion will be damned, as your false prophet Mohammed is;” whereupon they killed him.
Posted by Cornelius | June 12, 2008 6:39 PM
Posted on June 12, 2008 18:39
Oh Cornelius, I'm afraid not. The Cardinal said there is too much emphasis on Islam. We must pick someone who treats all religions equally. I'll nominate King David, who said, "For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils." (Psalm 95:5)
Posted by Cyprian
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June 12, 2008 9:38 PM
Posted on June 12, 2008 21:38