FABC2000: Workshop 11

Workshop 11
Interreligious Dialogue in Pursuit of Fullness of Life in Asia

A. The Asian Situation

1. Asia, the cradle of the world's great and ancient religions, is also the arena of violence and conflicts: ethnic, religious, political, and cultural. Communalism, tribalism, etc. in many areas beget interreligious fears.

2. Conflicts are made complex by the linking of politics, economics, religion, and culture (eg., caste) in the pursuit of power; in many cases, religion is instrumentalized for this reason.

3. Christianity carries a heavy burden of colonial history in many countries of Asia and hence identified as foreign.

4. In some areas, there is a phenomenon of numerous conversions to Christianity, especially among the poorer classes of society.

5. Religious fundamentalism is on the rise partly to defend confessional orthodoxy and identity against perceived intrusion by other faiths and partly as a reaction to the impact of globalization and the concomitant threats from secularism and materialism.

Moreover, part of the Asian situation is purely religious.

1. Theological ambiguities in the theology of religions hamper interreligious dialogue, such as a "proselytizing mentality" that is projected by religious universalism and absolutism without regard for Asian religious sensitivities.

2. The tendency to pit dialogue and proclamation against each other as though each is unrelated to the other can be a source of problem.

3. Religious fears and prejudices remain powerful as obstacles to interreligious dialogue.

B. The Vision of Interreligious Dialogue in Asia

1. Interrreligious Dialogue is a process of partnership with others toward the pursuit of communion and of full life in Asia. The greatest contribution that the Christian can give to this common pursuit is the sharing of the mystery of Jesus as the Life, the One who promised abundant life.

2. The love of God in Jesus and the love of neighbor is the dynamic motivation for the Christian believer, with the realization that the Spirit of Jesus is the primary agent of dialogue.

3. The task of interreligious dialogue proceeds with a particular pedagogy toward full life and has certain imperatives or dimensions. Among these are:

mutual listening and learning;

mutual challenging and correcting in pursuit of Truth;

mutual deepening of spirituality.

building relationships of fellowship and communion, of mutual respect and understanding, of mutual trust;

finding common grounds such as in Kingdom values (e.g., justice, peace, love, etc.) for engaging in cooperative action;

building in Asia a culture of life, a culture of human rights, and a culture of peace and harmony.

Above all, for the Christian the task of interreligious dialogue can only be credible and effective when one's word in the dialogue is backed up by the authentic witness of a life, imbued with God-experience.

4. For such vision to be realized, the ground for interreligious dialogue has to be prepared within the Church itself by being a Church of dialogue. Co-responsibility, consultation, and participation have to be operative in the Church. This calls for a new way of being Church and a new way of leadership as well as of membership in the Church. The way of leadership is the way of Christ as Shepherd-Servant, sensitive to the needs of the flock, in relationship of intimacy with the flock and its situation. The way of membership is the way of the discipleship, participating fully in the mission of the Lord.

5. At the beginning of the third Millennium, a symbolic act of asking forgiveness for acts of intolerance and aggressive proselytization in past ages would build the trust and respect that the Church needs to embark on a journey of interreligious dialogue to full life.

C. Pastoral Recommendations

1. We encourage more formation programs for dialogue. These include the goals, principles, and approaches to dialogue. They encompass a culture of dialogue and a spirituality of dialogue. Our schools, seminaries, houses of formation, and pastoral centers should help carry out this formation of young as well as present leaders (bishops, priests, BEC leaders, religious superiors, etc.) for dialogue.

2. Local churches, at the national or diocesan levels, are encouraged to observe a Week of Interreligious Dialogue (akin to the Church's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity). This could take place in October, to coincide with the Assisi World Day of Peace initiated in 1986. This is one way to encourage religious leaders of various traditions to come together to pray for peace and discuss common concerns, in a symbolic gesture of solidarity and communion of hearts.
3. At the local levels, we encourage interreligious conferences, symposia, and other forms of dialogue to explore the common ground among religious traditions, particularly in helping promote a Culture of Life, a Culture of Human Rights, and a Culture of Peace and Harmony
4. We should explore the possibilities of email and the internet in our on-going interreligious dialogue in the region.

END

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