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Messaggio dell'Arcivescovo
Michael Louis Fitzgerald, Presidente del Pontificio Consiglio
per il Dialogo Interreligioso, per la Festa di Vesakh 2005
L'Arcivescovo Michael Louis Fitzgerald, Presidente
del Pontificio Consiglio per il Dialogo Interreligioso, in occasione
della Festa di Vesakh 2005, ha inviato ai buddisti il seguente
Messaggio:
Dear Buddhist Friends,
1. Once again the time of Vesakh comes, and on this occasion I
wish to convey to you my heartfelt greetings. May this feast bring
joy to you as individuals, as families and as communities. I am
certain that in many places where Buddhists and Catholics live
together they will use the moment to consolidate the good relations
which already exist between them.
2. This year the Catholic Church celebrates the Fortieth Anniversary
of the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the relationship
of the Church to other religions, Nostra Aetate. This document
can in some ways be considered as the “Magna Carta”
which guides Catholics in their relations with people of other
traditions. Mentioning Buddhism and many other religions, it states
that “the Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true
and holy in these religions” (NA 2). Accordingly, Buddhists
and Catholics are able to meet together, in a spirit of openness,
sincerity and mutual respect, engaging in many different forms
of dialogue.
3. In countries where Buddhists and Christians live and work side
by side, the resulting “dialogue of life” allows them,
while witnessing to their own beliefs, to deepen their understanding
of one another, to foster goodwill and to promote a spirit of
neighbourliness. In fact, a particular bond has developed between
many Buddhist and Catholic monks and nuns. They have welcomed
one another into their respective monasteries and convents joining
together in silence, meditation and reflection. Some communities
have been able to cooperate in the social field and, in a world
marked by violence, are working together in the cause of peace.
4. Nowhere has the need for collaboration been felt more keenly
than in the countries of South and Southeast Asia which were affected
by the earthquake and the ensuing tsunami of 26 December 2004.
This disaster elicited an outpouring of prayers, expressions of
compassion and acts of generosity on a scale the world has rarely
witnessed. Buddhists and Christians have worked together hand
in hand to help the victims; religious organisations have cooperated
by bringing immediate relief and assessing future needs. The long-term
requirements of reconstruction call, however, for a continuation
of these interreligious expressions of solidarity. There are also
many other situations which require cooperation among people of
good will so that solutions can be found which conform to human
dignity and which respect human rights.
5. This year's feast of Vesakh will find many families missing
some of their members. I wish to assure them that their loved
ones will not be forgotten but will be remembered in our prayers.
The dialogue which Nostra Aetate has helped to promote encourages
us to share with one another in times of joy and sorrow. It is
in this spirit that I again wish all of you a blessed feast.
Archbishop MICHAEL L. FITZGERALD
President |