Vatican sends message to Hindus for Deepavali

(Vatican Radio) The Vatican has sent a message to Hindus as the celebrate the Feast of Deepavali. In the Message, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran writes "Regardless of ourethnic, cultural, religious and ideological differences, all of us belong to the onehuman family."The full text is below:Christians and Hindus: fostering human relationships through friendship and solidarityMESSAGE FOR THE FEAST OF DEEPAVALI2013Vatican CityDear Hindu Friends,1. In a spirit of friendship, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogueextends to you best wishes and cordial greetings as you celebrate Deepavali on 3November next. May God, the source of all light and life, illumine your lives anddeepen your happiness and peace.2. In this highly competitive world where increasingly individualistic andmaterialistic tendencies adversely affect human relationships and often createdivisions in families and society as a whole, we wish to share our thoughts onhow Christians and Hindus can foster human relationships for the good of allhumanity through friendship and solidarity.3. Relationships are fundamental to human existence. Security and peace inthe local, national and international communities are largely determined by thequality of our human interaction. Experience teaches us that, the deeper ourhuman relationships, the more we are able to advance towards cooperation,peace-building, genuine solidarity and harmony. In short, the ability to fosterrespectful relationships is the measure of authentic human progress and essentialfor promoting peace and integral development.4. Such relationships ought to flow naturally from our shared humanity.Indeed, human relationships are at the heart of human existence and its progressand naturally give rise to a sense of solidarity with others. Regardless of ourethnic, cultural, religious and ideological differences, all of us belong to the onehuman family.5. Sadly, with the increase of materialism in society and a growing disregardfor deeper spiritual and religious values, there now exists a dangerous trend toaccord the same value to material things as to human relationships, therebyreducing the human person from a ‘someone’ to a ‘something’ that can be castaside at will. Furthermore, individualistic tendencies engender a false sense ofsecurity and favour what His Holiness Pope Francis has described as ‘a cultureof exclusion’, ‘a throwaway culture’ and ‘a globalization of indifference’.6. The promotion of a ‘culture of relationship’ and ‘a culture of solidarity’ isthus imperative for all peoples, and calls for the fostering of relationships basedon friendship and mutual respect for the benefit of the entire human family. Thisrequires a common recognition and promotion of the intrinsic dignity of thehuman person. It is evident then that friendship and solidarity are closely related.In the end, a “culture of solidarity means seeing others not as rivals or statistics,but brothers and sisters” (Pope Francis, Visit to the Community of Varginha(Manguinhos), Rio de Janeiro, 25 July 2013).7. Finally, we wish to state our conviction that a culture of solidarity can onlybe achieved as “the fruit of a concerted effort on the part of all, in service of thecommon good” (Pope Francis, Meeting with Brazil’s Leaders of Society, Rio deJaneiro, 27 July 2013). Sustained by the teachings of our respective religions andaware of the importance of building genuine relationships, may we, Hindus andChristians, work individually and collectively, with all religious traditions andpeople of good will, to foster and strengthen the human family through friendshipand solidarity.We wish you a happy celebration of Deepavali!Cardinal Jean-Louis TauranPresidentPontifical Council for Inter-religious DialogueFather Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJSecretary

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