VATICAN (CNS): “In these troubled times, we refuse to give in to despair, for we strongly believe that in the midst of dark clouds, those who are deeply rooted in their respective religious traditions and willing to work together with everyone can bring a ray of hope to a desperate humanity,” representatives of the seventh Buddhist-Christian Colloquium said in a final declaration released on November 16.
“We believe that now more than ever, we need to work together and with a great sense of responsibility,” the statement said, listing seven points of “shared action” to implement in their respective regions.
The final statement came at the end of the colloquium which was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from November 13 to 16. It was organised by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, together with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand, two major Buddhist universities, a Buddhist monastic order, Bangkok’s Temple of the Reclining Buddha and a Thai foundation.
About 150 Buddhists and Christians from 12 Asian nations, the United Kingdom and the Holy See took part to discuss the theme, “Karu?a and Agape in Dialogue for Healing a Wounded Humanity and the Earth.”
The statement said, “Nourished by their respective spiritual teachings, Buddhists and Christians, for thousands of years, have adopted compassionate ways of living to address the suffering of life.”
We believe that now more than ever, we need to work together and with a great sense of responsibility
Buddhist-Christian Colloquium
The seven shared actions the participants agreed on were continued prayer, education, dialogue, cooperation, acknowledging suffering, cultivating empathy and promoting innovation.
“There will be no peace without dialogue. Dialogue can prevent violence,” offer healing and inspiration, it said. “It can mobilise different religious groups to seek justice and truth, to protect the planet, and to protest against its destruction.”
It said, “We need to cultivate empathy for the suffering of others and the environment. Thus, we need compassion in political and economic decisions.”
The colloquium said, “We need to cooperate with everyone: civil society, followers of other religions, media personnel, governments, international bodies, academic and scientific communities, and all other interested parties in order to foster an inclusive world.”
And it called for innovation in making their religious texts and “centuries of experience and wisdom” relevant to today’s world and in scholarly efforts among academics and researchers “with the goal of helping religious movements to alter how they perceive, think and conceive of the other as well as the planet.”
