VATICAN (SE): In a message for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, reported by Vatican News on 20 February, the prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, George Jacob Cardinal Koovakad, and the secretary, Monsignor Indunil J.K. Kodithuwakku, stated: “Through this shared season of Ramadan and Lent, may our inner transformation become a catalyst for a renewed world, where the weapons of war give way to the courage of peace.”
The message continues: “Peace — this is my fervent wish,” it reads, “for each of you, for your families, and for the nations in which you live.”
Cardinal Koovakad emphasised that peace comes from “disarmament of the heart, the mind and life,” describing it as a gift from God sustained by dialogue, justice, and the love required for forgiveness.
The message expressed the Holy See’s solidarity and respect for Muslims, noting the “providential convergence of calendars” as Christians observe Lent alongside Ramadan.
The message warned that in a world overwhelmed by “information, narratives and competing viewpoints,” people may be tempted towards despair or violence.
Cardinal Koovakad said believers must choose another path. Christians and Muslims are “called to imagine and to open new paths by which life may be renewed.” This happens through prayer, “fasting that clears our inner vision, and concrete acts of charity.”
Cardinal Koovakad expressed the Church’s closeness with Muslims, “especially those among you who struggle or suffer in body or spirit because of your thirst for justice, equality, dignity and freedom “
The message underlined that Muslims and Christians “are united not only by our shared experience of trial, but also by the sacred task of restoring peace to our broken world.”
It concluded with the hope that Lent and Ramadan might “become a catalyst for a renewed world, where the weapons of war give way to the courage of peace.”
