Interreligious Relations 50 Years After the Second Vatican Council
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Nostra Aetate In Our Time Interreligious relations 50 years after the Second Vatican Council Nostra Aetate, the 1965 declaration made by the Second Vatican Council on the relation of the Catholic Church to non-Christian religions, was a landmark document that changed the landscape of interreligious dialogue. In 2012, almost 50 years later, the International Dialogue Centre was established by Austria, Saudi Arabia and Spain, with the Holy See as the Founding Observer, with the mandate to promote the use of interreligious dia- logue in preventing and resolving conflict and enhancing understanding and cooperation globally. This founding mandate builds on principles set forth in Nostra Aetate and, with the Holy See as our Founding Observer, the Declaration is very close to our heart. In November 2015, a conference was convened at the Centre in Vienna to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Nostra Aetate declaration and to reflect on its impact on interreligious relations over the past 50 years. Our Board of Directors, themselves representatives from major world religions, together with leading practition- ers, joined us to corroborate the Declaration’s continuing and powerful contribution to public life in improving interreligious understanding and collaboration. This book has been compiled to commemorate that occasion in reproducing the commentary from those leading experts in interreligious dialogue who spoke at the conference and alongside whom it has been my privilege to work. The UN Secretary General, speaking at the inaugura- tion of the International Dialogue Centre, welcomed the initiative of our founding by saying: “We join forces to celebrate your efforts for cultural exchange and global harmony. We need to look no further than today’s head- lines to see why this mission is so important.” These words are as urgent today as they ever were. It is crucial that we continue to provide the voices of responsible religious leaders and peacemakers to show the way to reconciliation on a global scale. Faisal bin Muaammar Secretary General, KAICIID Nostra Aetate In Our Time Interreligious relations 50 years after the Second Vatican Council Nostra Aetate In Our Time Interreligious relations 50 years after the Second Vatican Council DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the publisher or imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Tudor Rose Holdings Ltd. Although the authors and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at the time of going to press, the authors and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. ISBN: 978-0-9568561-7-3 Original title: Nostra Aetate In Our Time Interreligious relations 50 years after the Second Vatican Council Text © KAICIID. All rights reserved. Photographs © as per credits Edited by Mariela Hoyer Starcevic on behalf of KAICIID Published in 2016 by Tudor Rose 6 Friar Lane, Leicester, LE1 5RA, United Kingdom www.tudor-rose.co.uk Typeset in Sabon and ITC Stone Sans Printed and bound by Gomer Press Llandysul Enterprise Park, Llandysul, Ceredigion, SA44 4JL, United Kingdom About the International Dialogue Centre The KAICIID Board of Directors comprises prominent representatives from five world religions – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism to build peace and harmonious societies. To achieve this, the Centre fosters cooperation between diverse religious communities to close the divisions created when religion is manipulated to engender fear and hatred. Our vision is a world in which there is respect, under- standing and cooperation among people; justice, peace and reconciliation; and an end to the abuse of religion The International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) is an to justify repression, violence and conflict. international organisation with the mission of promot- ing dialogue to help people to understand and respect Our roles different religions and cultures. v We help create the platforms, knowledge, and com- The Centre works to counteract discrimination mitment that foster interreligious dialogue (IRD) in and resolve conflict. It is the first intergovernmental conflict areas organisation that teams up policymakers and religious v We support international and national institutions in representatives to encourage dialogue between people using IRD to work for positive change who may never meet or enjoy mutual trust, and to talk v We convene religious leaders, policy makers and other through their problems, especially if there is a cultural stakeholders to engage in IRD or religious issue at stake. v We create and disseminate knowledge on IRD to help The governing Board of Directors comprises repre- achieve peace and reconciliation. sentatives of five major religions representing about 80% of the world’s believers and thus offers the international What we do community a unique asset. We promote IRD to help find sustainable solutions to Through its networks, the Centre has access to reli- contemporary challenges and conflict situations, work- gious communities around the world. Combined with ing in three priority areas: the support of the member governments, the Centre v Applying IRD for peace and reconciliation in four can convene influential stakeholders who usually never designated conflict situations – Central African meet or collaborate, yet have many goals and methods in Republic, Iraq/Syria, Nigeria, and Myanmar common. This collaboration between religious and sec- v Capacity-building efforts, which aim to empower ular leadership can create new, more inclusive solutions. religious leaders to become active peacemakers in The Centre takes no side in any conflict since it is communities experiencing conflict and division inclusive of all religions, yet not bound to any single v Working to advocate on behalf of IRD with inter- faith or denomination. national organisations, policy makers and other By promoting dialogue, the Centre helps communities stakeholders. V Acknowledgements The International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) would Archive photographs of papal visits and of the meeting of like to extend its special thanks to His Eminence Car- the Second Vatican Council are reproduced by kind per- dinal Christoph Schönborn, a friend and supporter of mission of L’Osservatore Romano Servizio Fotografico, KAICIID since the very early days of its inception. Vatican City. The Centre is grateful to the authors listed below for their contributions and energetic support in making this Photographs of the KAICIID conference are supplied book possible, as well as for their tireless work in the courtesy of Daniel Shaked. field of interreligious dialogue. Prof. Mohammed Abu-Nimer Swami Agnivesh Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia Dr. Hamad Al-Majed Prof. Patrice Brodeur His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel Prof. Dr. Ingeborg Gabriel His Excellency Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, mccj Univ. Prof. em. Dr. Susanne Heine Mag. Dr. Markus Ladstätter Dr. Seyyed Ata’ollah Mohajerani His Excellency Faisal bin Muaammar Rev. Kosho Niwano Rev. Mark Poulson Chief Rabbi David Rosen Dr. Mohammad Sammak VI Contents Foreword .........................................IX Jewish-Christian relations since Nostra Aetate ......51 Mag. Dr. Markus Ladstätter Chief Rabbi David Rosen Chapter 1: Nostra Aetate for our time Living dialogue among the Abrahamic faiths: Introduction ........................................3 the prophetic dimension ........................... 57 His Excellency Faisal bin Muaammar Prof. Dr. Ingeborg Gabriel Opening remarks ...................................7 Chapter 4: Broadening interreligious dialogue His Eminence Cardinal Christoph Schönborn and collaboration for our time Introduction ...................................... 65 Dr. Hamad Al-Majed Chapter 2: Ecumenical perspectives of Nostra Aetate Introduction ...................................... 15 The anguish of our human condition – Prof. Patrice Brodeur reflections on religious peacemaking ............... 69 Swami Agnivesh Orthodox perspectives on ecumenical and interreligious relations after Nostra Aetate ......... 19 Liberation and illumination – reflections on His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel creating a culture of dialogue and peace ............75 Rev. Kosho Niwano Nostra Aetate and lessons learned for broader interreligious relations. 23 The Sikh perspective .............................. 81 Univ. Prof. Em. Dr. Susanne Heine Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh Anglican responses to Nostra Aetate .............. 29 Rev. Mark Poulson Chapter 5: Nostra Aetate – creating a culture of inclusion Nostra Aetate – creating a culture of inclusion ..... 91 Chapter 3: Nostra Aetate and the religions of Abraham His Excellency, Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, Introduction ...................................... 35 mccj Prof. Mohammed Abu-Nimer Chapter 6: Nostra Aetate – The Declaration What can Muslims learn from Nostra Aetate? ..... 39 The Declaration. 98 Dr. Mohammad Sammak The importance of theology in interreligious relations. 45 Dr. Seyyed Ata’ollah Mohajerani VII VIII Introduction: The affirmation of the other Mag. Dr. Markus Ladstätter Markus Ladstätter, Mag. theol., Dr. theol., undertook his academic training in Comparative Religious Studies, Catholic Theology, Chinese Studies and Judaic Studies in Vienna, Jerusalem