India: Seminar on Human Fraternity for World Peace

Veilankanni Church

Jesuits and Collaborators commemorated the International Day of Living Together in Peace in a two-day seminar on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together at the Shrine Retreat Centre, Veilankanni on 14 and 15 May. The Gandhian Society Villages Association, Devakottai, Our Lady of Health Shrine Basilica, Veilankanni, and Islamic Studies Association joined forces to host the seminar. Around 40 participants from three major religious traditions took part.

Fr Cyril SJ, the seminar's convenor, emphasized the need for the seminar, stating that in today's world, we are facing increasing danger arise from war and conflict. This includes rising crime rates, natural disasters, and global pandemics, making it feel like we are constantly under threat.

He also highlighted the ongoing battle for India's identity, with some pushing for an exclusive vision of the country as a Hindu Nation. This has led to the marginalization of Dalits, tribals, and minority groups. While the Indian Constitution recognizes and affirms India's diverse and inclusive character, there is a risk of it transforming into an electoral dictatorship. It is crucial not to overlook this genuine threat.

Fr Cyril SJ stressed that the Indian Constitution offers solutions to the challenges facing India today. It upholds India's diverse and inclusive nature, making it a truly independent, socialist, secular, democratic republic. The Constitution promises Justice, Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity for all Indian citizens, embodying the essence of India.

Joseph Victor Edwin SJ, one of the speakers at the seminar, drew inspiration from the Human Fraternity Document cosigned by Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyib, the grand Imam of Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. He emphasized the importance of forging a path toward a more peaceful, just, and harmonious world for all. He pointed out that both Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyib were able to look at one another not as enemies, not as people from different cultures and different lands, but through the eyes of faith, recognizing in each other true signs of faith.

He further pointed out that building a fraternal world is a challenging task in the context of xenophobia, a fruit of our distancing from religious values such as peace, goodness, human fraternity, and coexistence. In the context of polarization and discrimination, we are wounded by acts of violence due to political manipulation of religions and incorrect interpretations of religious texts.

Edwin further stated that it is in these circumstances that Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed invite all people of goodwill to act with confidence that humanity belongs to God, who is our common origin and destination, to end the vicious cycle of violence by understanding the suffering of the other by putting ourselves in their shoes, to stop abusing others in the name of God, and thus build a future together. They invite all people of goodwill to cultivate frankness and courage in all circumstances.

Kulandai Samy, a Gandhian, and Eronimus, a cultural educationist, trained the participants to recognize similarities and differences between various cultural traditions and perspectives. They taught how to reach a consensus and settle disputes that arise from time to time through patience and perseverance, and how to democratically manage cultural diversity by adjusting existing social and political structures as needed.

In the seminar, Gandhian Kulandai Samy was chosen as the Convenor of the Human Fraternity Forum, with Tamilarasi and Eronimus appointed as secretaries. Additionally, Fr Cyril SJ and Ms Ananya, an active student member of the Human Fraternity Forum Coimbatore Chapter, were included as members of the core group.