Evelyne Ogutu
17 April 2008
Nairobi — The Catholic Church has asked its clergy and faithful to reach out and establish ties with other religions.
The Inter-Religious Dialogue and Harmonisation Forum aims at fostering peace and harmony among various faiths in the world.
The President of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, said African bishops should establish closer ties with other religions to foster peace in the region.
Cardinal Tauran, who is chairing a four-day conference on Inter-Religious Dialogue at Resurrection Gardens in Karen, said religion should be used as a tool for peace and not war.
After every five years, the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue organises a meeting with its members and consultants at regional level.
This is the first time for Kenya to hold the high profiled meeting, where several African Episcopal Conference heads meet to discuss how the Catholic Church could relate with other religions.
After the Second Vatican Council sitting, the Church has been promoting inter-religious dialogue by emphasising the spiritual bonds that unite people of different faiths.
However, the visiting Cardinal said there has been a wrong misconception that the Church is trying to kill other religions and forcing people to Catholicism.
"As might be expected, not every person is interested with inter-religious dialogue. There are those who think that the dialogue is a betrayal by the church to convert every person," said Cardinal Tauran.
He further said some of those opposing the dialogue believe that the move is aimed at controlling the spread of other religions, but noted the need to harmonise all of them.
"The Catholic Church recognises partners in dialogue as equal in dignity. We urge the clergy to enter with prudence and clarity into discussion and collaboration with members of other religions," said the Cardinal.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The East African Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
