Vatican and WCC Diwali messages

Photo by Umesh Soni on Unsplash

Source: Vatican News, WCC

The Vatican and World Council of Churches have both issued greetings ahead of the Feast of Diwali (Deepavali) - the Festival of Light. Beginning on Thursday 31 October, the feast of Diwali which in Sanskrit means 'row of oil lamps' is one of the most important Hindu feast days, celebrates the victory of truth over falsehood, light over darkness, and good over evil.

Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ, and Mgr Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage from the Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue write: "May God, the source of light, fill your minds and hearts with peace and joy, and your families and communities with grace and happiness!"

The Vatican officials observed how cities and countries are becoming always more diverse and went on to offer some thoughts on how both Christians and Hindus can promote harmony amidst diversity and despite differences.

According to God's plan, they said, diversity and differences are not meant to be a threat to anyone's existence but a gift for harmonious coexistence. They are, they stated, "relational mosaics of a pluriform edifice in which humans of all colours, creeds and cultures can live together."

The Dicastery Prefect and Secretary lamented that the divine vision of fostering harmony through God's own power, in and through diversity, is "supplanted by ideologies that favour exclusion, discrimination and conformity on both the individual and collective level.... Religious fundamentalism, extremism, fanaticism, racism and hyper nationalism in different parts of the world," they observed, are examples of ideologies "that destroy harmony."

Moreover, the Vatican officials warned, they give rise to "suspicion, prejudice, mistrust, hatred and fear" among people, "thereby impeding them from forging bonds that sustain human fraternity and social friendship."

Therefore, they suggested, there is more than ever the need "to rediscover the divine plan for humanity" and "nurture in our communities, cities and countries the spirit of fraternity that binds everyone together as God's children and as brothers and sisters."

Sowing the seeds of harmony with those different from us, they maintained, is "a practical necessity" that "calls for concrete action and collective effort from all individuals, families, educational institutions, media, communities and nations."

In this context, they called on all people of good will to work towards breaking down stereotypes and fostering empathy, sensitivity and respect for those who are different from us.

"As believers grounded in our own respective religious traditions and as persons with shared commitment to strengthening harmonious coexistence in society," Cardinal Ayuso and Mgr Kankanamalage concluded, "may we, Christians and Hindus, join hands with the people of other religious traditions and with people of good will, do all that we can to promote harmony amidst diversity and despite differences."

"May we, Christians and Hindus, join hands with the people of other religious traditions and with people of good will, do all that we can to promote harmony amidst diversity and despite differences"

The World Council of Churches general secretary Rev Prof Dr Jerry Pillay extended joyful greetings to the world's Hindu communities. He writes: "As you observe this auspicious time through the lighting of lamps, may your peace and prosperity be all the more complete, and may the light of Diwali bring you enlightenment, purity, healing, joy, and peace.. The age-old reality of Hinduism is that unity comes from diversity."

Pillay acknowledged that we live in a world that is torn apart by division and discrimination. "As the WCC, we seek to discern ways of confronting these sins, and we see the need for the transformation of external structures nurturing our internal will," he said. "In these challenging times, it is vital that we establish a strong foundation from which to engage in meaningful acceptance of, and exchange of ideas across our differences, and foster the peaceable and renewing spirit inherent in all religions."

The World Council of Churches values the longstanding relationship with Hindu partners, Pillay reiterated. "May this relationship translate into interreligious solidarity in service of a wounded humanity and a broken earth," he wrote. "As you light Diwali lamps in your homes, streets, and in your hearts, may light and love flow into entire communities to heal divisions as a divine grace."