Pope Benedict XVI- Apostolic Journey to the Holy Land |
"We
See the Possibility of a Unity Which Is Not Dependent Upon
Uniformity"
Address to Interreligious Dialogue Organizers
H.H. Benedict XVI
Notre Dame Center, Jerusalem, Israel
May 11, 2009
Dear Brother Bishops,
Distinguished Religious Leaders,
Dear Friends,
It is a source of great joy for me to meet with you this evening. I
wish to thank His Beatitude Patriarch Fouad Twal for his kind words
of welcome spoken on behalf of everyone present. I reciprocate the
warm sentiments expressed and gladly greet all of you and the
members of the groups and organizations you represent.
"God said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your kindred and your
father's house for a land I shall show you' ... so Abram went ...
and took his wife Sarah with him" (Gen 12:1-5). God's irruptive
call, which marks the beginning of the history of our faith
traditions, was heard in the midst of man's ordinary daily
existence. And the history that ensued was shaped, not in isolation,
but through the encounter with Egyptian, Hittite, Sumerian,
Babylonian, Persian, and Greek cultures.
Faith is always lived within a culture. The history of religion
shows that a community of believers proceeds by degrees of
faithfulness to God, drawing from and shaping the culture it meets.
This same dynamic is found in individual believers from the great
monotheistic traditions: attuned to the voice of God, like Abraham,
we respond to his call and set out seeking the fulfillment of his
promises, striving to obey his will, forging a path in our own
particular culture.
Today, nearly four thousand years after Abraham, the encounter of
religions with culture occurs not simply on a geographical plane.
Certain aspects of globalization and in particular the world of the
internet have created a vast virtual culture, the worth of which is
as varied as its countless manifestations. Undoubtedly much has been
achieved to create a sense of closeness and unity within the
world-wide human family. Yet, at the same time, the boundless array
of portals through which people so readily access undifferentiated
sources of information can easily become an instrument of increasing
fragmentation: the unity of knowledge is shattered and the complex
skills of critique, discernment and discrimination learned through
academic and ethical traditions are at times bypassed or neglected.
The question naturally arises then as to what contribution religion
makes to the cultures of the world against the backdrop of rapid
globalization. Since many are quick to point out the readily
apparent differences between religions, as believers or religious
persons we are presented with the challenge to proclaim with clarity
what we share in common.
Abraham's first step in faith, and our steps to or from the
synagogue, church, mosque or temple, tread the path of our single
human history, unfolding along the way, we might say, to the eternal
Jerusalem (cf.Rev 21:23). Similarly, every culture with its inner
capacity to give and receive gives expression to the one human
nature. Yet, the individual is never fully expressed through his or
her own culture, but transcends it in the constant search for
something beyond. From this perspective, dear friends, we see the
possibility of a unity which is not dependent upon uniformity. While
the differences we explore in inter-religious dialogue may at times
appear as barriers, they need not overshadow the common sense of awe
and respect for the universal, for the absolute and for truth, which
impel religious peoples to converse with one another in the first
place. Indeed it is the shared conviction that these transcendent
realities have their source in -- and bear traces of -- the Almighty
that believers uphold before each other, our organizations, our
society, our world. In this way not only do we enrich culture but we
shape it: lives of religious fidelity echo God's irruptive presence
and so form a culture not defined by boundaries of time or place but
fundamentally shaped by the principles and actions that stem from
belief.
Religious belief presupposes truth. The one who believes is the one
who seeks truth and lives by it. Although the medium by which we
understand the discovery and communication of truth differs in part
from religion to religion, we should not be deterred in our efforts
to bear witness to truth's power. Together we can proclaim that God
exists and can be known, that the earth is his creation, that we are
his creatures, and that he calls every man and woman to a way of
life that respects his design for the world. Friends, if we believe
we have a criterion of judgment and discernment which is divine in
origin and intended for all humanity, then we cannot tire of
bringing that knowledge to bear on civic life. Truth should be
offered to all; it serves all members of society. It sheds light on
the foundation of morality and ethics, and suffuses reason with the
strength to reach beyond its own limitations in order to give
expression to our deepest common aspirations. Far from threatening
the tolerance of differences or cultural plurality, truth makes
consensus possible and keeps public debate rational, honest and
accountable, and opens the gateway to peace. Fostering the will to
be obedient to the truth in fact broadens our concept of reason and
its scope of application, and makes possible the genuine dialogue of
cultures and religions so urgently needed today.
Each one of us here also knows, however, that God's voice is heard
less clearly today, and reason itself has in so many instances
become deaf to the divine. Yet that "void" is not one of silence.
Indeed, it is the din of egotistical demands, empty promises and
false hopes that so often invades the very space in which God seeks
us. Can we then make spaces -- oases of peace and profound
reflection -- where God's voice can be heard anew, where his truth
can be discovered within the universality of reason, where every
individual, regardless of dwelling, or ethnic group, or political
hue, or religious belief, can be respected as a person, as a fellow
human being? In an age of instant access to information and social
tendencies which engender a kind of monoculture, deep reflection
against the backdrop of God's presence will embolden reason,
stimulate creative genius, facilitate critical appreciation of
cultural practices and uphold the universal value of religious
belief.
Friends, the institutions and groups that you represent engage in
inter-religious dialogue and the promotion of cultural initiatives
at a wide range of levels. From academic institutions -- and here I
wish to make special mention of the outstanding achievements of
Bethlehem University -- to bereaved parents groups, from initiatives
through music and the arts to the courageous example of ordinary
mothers and fathers, from formal dialogue groups to charitable
organizations, you daily demonstrate your belief that our duty
before God is expressed not only in our worship but also in our love
and concern for society, for culture, for our world and for all who
live in this land. Some would have us believe that our differences
are necessarily a cause of division and thus at most to be
tolerated. A few even maintain that our voices should simply be
silenced. But we know that our differences need never be
misrepresented as an inevitable source of friction or tension either
between ourselves or in society at large. Rather, they provide a
wonderful opportunity for people of different religions to live
together in profound respect, esteem and appreciation, encouraging
one another in the ways of God. Prompted by the Almighty and
enlightened by his truth, may you continue to step forward with
courage, respecting all that differentiates us and promoting all
that unites us as creatures blessed with the desire to bring hope to
our communities and world. May God guide us along this path!
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