Address of His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran at the Inauguration Ceremony of the KAICIID
Hofburg, Vienna, Austria
26 November 2012

Your Holiness,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my privilege to bring to this assembly the greetings of Pope Benedict XVI, as well as his prayerful best wishes for the success of the activity of this Dialogue Centre.

Ladies and gentlemen.

We are being watched. Everyone is expecting from the initiative of His Majesty King Abdullah, supported by the governments of Austria and Spain, with the assistance of the Holy See as Founding Observer, honesty, vision and credibility.

This Centre presents another opportunity for open dialogue on many issues, including those related to fundamental human rights, in particular religious freedom in all its aspects, for everybody, for every community, everywhere. In this regard, you will understand that the Holy See is particularly attentive to the fate of Christian communities in countries where such a freedom is not adequately guaranteed. Information, new initiatives, aspirations, and perhaps also failures will be brought to our attention. It then will be the task of the Centre – and when possible with the cooperation of other organizations – to verify their authenticity and to act consequently, in order that our contemporaries not be deprived of the light and the resources that religion offers for the happiness of every human being.

Believers have to work for and to support all that favours the human person in his material, moral and religious aspirations. So three attitudes are required:

1. respect of the other in his/her specificity;

2. mutual objective knowledge of the religious tradition of each other, particularly through education;

3. collaboration in order that our pilgrimage towards the Truth be realized in freedom and serenity.

Concluding and quoting Pope Benedict XVI, I would like to assure you of the cooperation of the Catholic Church: “By her presence, her prayer and her various works of mercy, especially in education and health care, she wishes to give her best to everyone. She wants to be close to those who are in need, near to those who search for God." (Apostolic Journey to Benin, Welcome Ceremony, 18 November 2011).

It is in that spirit of brotherhood and friendship that we have to work!

Thank you.

Opening Remarks from Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran
President, PCID
19 November 2012

Your Excellency, Dr. Khoramshad,
Dear friends,

I am pleased to welcome each of you and in a particular way our Iranian friends, thanking God for their safe arrival and their presence among us. Our meeting in the present context of interreligious dialogue is particularly significant. I am pleased also to tell you that on next Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI will receive us in a private audience and it will be an encouragement to double our efforts to find ways to promote justice in the contemporary world, which is the theme of our encounter: “Catholic and Muslim Cooperation in Promoting Justice in the Contemporary World”.

During these days we are going to share each our own approach as regards Justice and we shall do that from a religious perspective.

First of all, as believers we recognize that our world is not the fruit of fate or the fruit of necessity but it is the result of an extraordinary project of God who, in a very mysterious way, has decided to create the Cosmos and to entrust it to the human person. He is at the beginning and at the end of human history.

Christians know that “The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God…From the beginning to now the entire creation has been groaning in one great act of giving birth” (Rom, 8:21-22). And Muslims, for their part, do not forget that God put at the disposal of men and women all what is in heaven and all what is on the earth.

As believers we are therefore invited to make of this world a place where God and his creatures are in harmony among themselves and with nature, and to remember that we are responsible for the accomplishment of God’s project.

Believers and non-believers agree at least on one point: “All things on earth should be related to man as their center and crown as we read in Constitutuion Gaudiem et Spes.

So as religious leaders and intellectuals we are called to meet the needs of the concrete life of peoples and to contribute to make social life more human, more open to transcendence, and more open to the common good. It is there that justice comes in: when we speak of justice we speak of the capacity to love.

Almighty God has granted us faith and reason. You remember that in April 2008 we jointly organized an encounter on the theme of “Faith and Reason in Christianity and Islam”.

If we are creatures, it means that we are also partners of God. And all together we must work in order that violence disappear and dialogue triumph. We must do our utmost in order that the use of arms be replaced by the sincere will of peace. We must behave in order that pride and egoism do not spoil the quality of our human relationships. You remember what Pope John Paul II proclaimed: No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness (1st January 2002).

In that field believers have a specific role to play, because religious faith brings people together and unites them. Religious beliefs make them more attentive, more responsible, more generous in their commitment to the common good. So it is the task of religious leaders to ensure that freedom of conscience and freedom of religion are consistently secured in order that the communities of believers be free to receive, to learn and to announce their message of fraternity and to promote a pedagogy of respect for pluralism.

In conclusion I want to add that perhaps we shall not reach total consensus on some issues but what is important is to remember that, as believers, we have to propose some answers to the fundamental questions that normal human beings ask: What is the meaning of our life? Why is there suffering? Why are there wars? Why can we not reach harmony? The path leading to justice begins by solidarity. We have to recall that beauty, truth, and bounty are capable of changing the world and making of it a place where it is good to live together. It is my hope and my prayer that during these days we can reach concrete initiatives to work together for the promotion of the common good. We are going to ask ourselves, what is the origin of the dignity of the human person? Do we serve the dignity of the human person? Do we practice solidarity? These are very practical questions that religious leaders, educated persons and leaders of society cannot avoid.

So I invoke the blessing of Almighty God on each of us, on our communities, and on the human family and especially on its members who are deprived of their rights and are eagerly looking for justice.

Message on the Occasion of 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and the Holy See

I willingly associate myself to all those who desire to recall the significance and the importance of the anniversary of the beginning of official relations between Japan and the Holy See.  

As we know, the presence of Papal representatives in the international community has only one purpose:  to remind the political leaders and their constituencies that spiritual values and respect of human fundamental rights are indispensable for a peaceful world.

The Catholic Church teaches that justice and peace, together with religious freedom and cultural dialogue, are the pillars on which rest authentic human societies.   

The Apostolic Nunciature is not an ordinary embassy.  It is the house of the Pope in a country.  So it is in Tokyo.  Here everyone is welcomed, listened to, respected and, if necessary, helped.  

As President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, I cannot but remember that during their long years, the Apostolic Nuncios to Japan have always tried to help the Japanese bishops to foster Catholics and their communities to be convinced partners in an honest dialogue with the followers of other religions, a dialogue “… carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life.” (Nostra Aetate, N. 2)

After all the trials that the Japanese people have suffered in wars and natural disasters, it is a common conviction that friendly encounters, a good knowledge of international law and proper inter-religious cooperation are the conditions for the building of a world where it is good to live, today and tomorrow.

 Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran

President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue              

From the Vatican, Wednesday the 29^th of August, 2012

Christians and Muslims:

A Dialogue in a Secularized Society

         At the beginning of the Third Millennium, Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions of the world. We have to take into consideration the fact that Muslims are present in North America and Europe, not as passing immigrants but as definitively-settled citizens.  That means that they are our neighbors, in the sense of the Good Samaritan parable. 

Living among us, our Muslim friends can open a Bible and read it. They can find Jesus Christ.They can enter a church and they can discover the beauty of our liturgy.  In a way, the presence of so many Muslims around us means that we Christians have a witness to offer them. Most of them know only Jesus of the Koran; we have the duty to show them Jesus of the Gospel.We have to witness that God is Love and only Love. 

         In spite of great differences, Christians and Muslims are called to meet the challenge of modernity, which is nothing other than globalization.  And so we can imagine that our rivalry could take the form of reciprocal emulation in the service of the common good (Nostra Aetate, n. 3). 

         So the question arises, what is the essence of interreligious dialogue?  It is not a question of being nice to the other.It is not a negotiation.  It is not a strategy.  It is rather an invitation to discover the seeds of the Word, the ray of the Truth, the signs of the presence of God in every brother and sister in humanity.  With interreligious dialogue we are compelled to promote all positive and constructive relationships with persons and communities "…in order to learn to know each other and to enrich each other in obedience to the truth and respect for the freedom of everyone". (Dialogue and Proclamation, n. 9). Interreligious dialogue is not therefore the search for the smallest common denominator among religions (that would be relativism).  It is indeed the endeavor to know and to respect the convictions of the other and to recognize that God never ceases to be present and to be at work in the heart of every human person.  This dialogue usually is carried out through four different modalities.

1)the dialogue of life (I share the joys and sorrows of my neighbor belonging to another religion);

2)the dialogue of works (I collaborate in the well-being of the other. I met the needs of those who, although belonging to other religions, are living in precariousness.);

3)theological dialogue, when it is possible;

4)the dialogue of spiritualities.

Such an attitude, of course, cannot lead to relativism in conception of Truth. For us, Christians, Christ, the Son of God who became man, is the way, the Truth and the Life (John 14, 6) and it is only in Him, that all men and women, will find the fullness of religious life (NA, n.3), but, we recognize the value of positive elements present also in many religions and regard “with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men” (NA, n. 2).

To realize such a program, partners must have a clear-cut idea of their own faith and be disposed to listen, to understand and to love their counterparts, and finally, to know and to respect each other's differences.  

         Interreligious dialogue is also a providential call inviting us to deepen our own beliefs in order to be able to answer to those are asking for an account of our religion, that is to make account, "Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope" (1 Peter 3:14).

         Dialogue claims mutual knowledge among believers, leading to a greater respect and understanding.  It is also an occasion to correct erroneous images which exist, to overcome stereotypes and misconceptions which distort true knowledge of the other.  If problems arise between Christians and Muslims very often they are due to ignorance. Very often we do not know the content of other religions or we have never met believers of other religions.  We are reluctant to meet followers of other religions because we have no clear idea about our own religion.  And, of course, we cannot under-evaluate violence perpetrated in the name of religion or the discrimination of religious minorities in countries where the majority religion enjoys a privileged status due to history. Only convinced Christians are qualified to engage in interreligious dialogue.

Only Christians who live according to their convictions are qualified to engage in interreligious dialogue. 

1)     We must have a clear idea of our own religion. We cannot dialogue in ambiguity. Catechesis in parishes and teaching in seminaries and universities are particularly important.

2) We have to live according to our convictions. We have to be creditable believers. In interreligious dialogue we are exposed to the other’s gaze.  We ask one another, “Who is your God, how do you live your religious faith in every day life?” - and everyone must personally answer.  Interreligious dialogue does not happen between religions, but between believers. 

3) We mustn't be shy in sharing our faith.If I am convinced that Christ is the answer to the riddles of the human condition, I cannot keep to myself what I consider to be the key to happiness: those who have recognized a great truth or discovered a great joy have to pass it on.  They absolutely cannot keep it to themselves. These great gifts are never intended for one person. In such a context, it is obvious that the brother or the sister who is a practicing non-Christian is not a competitor but a partner in Interreligious dialogue and that we are able to recognize that the followers of other religions can receive God’s grace. The Italian priest Andrea Santoro who was murdered in Turkey February 5^th 2006, declared that he found in his Muslim friends: “an instinctive sense of God and His Providence; spontaneous welcome of His word and His will; trusting abandonment to His guidance; daily prayer in the middle of one’s activity; certainty about the after life and resurrection; the sacredness of the family; the value of simplicity of the essential, of welcome and of solidarity.”

         Finally, Christians and Muslims who dialogue are a great help for peace and harmony between peoples and societies.  Together, in a secularized society, we can give witness to prayer.  We can help each other to behave as responsible citizens.We can work in order that religious freedom be more and more a reality.  We can defend the family against aggressive policies which are undermining its solidity.  We can fight together against illiteracy and disease.  We are aware of our common responsibility for the moral formation of younger generations.  And finally, we can teach the pedagogy of peace in our churches and mosques. 

Transcrip of parts of Al-Jazheera Interview, 24 – 02 - 2012

Transcript of parts of the interview with Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran,  Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Bio: Cardinal Tauran has been Secretary for Relations with States (a sort of foreign ministry), Librarian of the Holy Roman Church and has held a number of key posts within the Roman Curia. 

He is one of the most influential personalities within the Holy See. 

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Sami Zeidan, Al-Jazheera: Publications in the West have been filled with headlines expressing concerns about the fate of Christian communities in the Middles East, what is the Vatican’s view, do you see Christians in the Middle East facing annihilation?

Cardinal: Christians first of all are sharing the fate of the people of that region and where there is no peace, people are not at ease, and they suffer. But for me the great temptation for the Christians in the Middle East is to emigrate, because when you look at the situation, the Peace Process is not going on, and when you are a father and mother of a family and you have children …

Sami:  you look for somewhere safe…

Cardinal: Yes it is understandable, but if Christians leave the Middle East, it will be a tragedy, because first of all they are leaving the land where they were born. Christians have always been leaving in the Middle East, and, if they leave, the Holy Places will become museums, and this would be a catastrophe. 

Sami: Do you think,  from the Vatican perspective, that there is a coordinated campaign against Christians in the Middle East and in other Muslim majority countries?

Cardinal: A coordinated campaign, I don’t know. But for sure if you open the newspaper, for example in Iraq, Christians are killed and in the rest of the Middle East also, every day we have this news and you cannot deny  that they are the target of a kind of opposition. I have been in the Middle East for many years and what I felt was that Christians feel they are second class citizens in countries where Muslims are the majority.

Sami:  Who is targeting the Christians? Is it one particular group?

Cardinal: It is these fundamentalist groups, these extremist groups, but when you speak with the political leaders they would say of course that they have nothing against Christians.

Sami: Do you think Christians are being targeted because the goal is to wipe out the Christian identity from the region, or are they simply one of other soft targets who are also victims of the violence? For example when you mentioned Iraq, attacks on Christians there are  often attributed to Al Qaeda, who also attack Shias, who also attack government installations… 

Cardinal: You know better than I do, that Islam has many sensitivities, I think every country and situation has its own profile and that varies from country to country.

Sami: Is the Vatican holding any talks with the rising forces in the Arab World, whether it is the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt for example or other groups?

Cardinal: I don’t think so, but you must remember that the Church, is not only the Vatican, but the local Churches and the Bishops on the ground, they  havemany contacts with these groups that the Vatican has not, the Vatican is Not The Church, the Vatican is a governing body , but the Church is the reality at the grassroots level.

Sami: The Arab Spring is bringing many changes to the Arab World, what about when it comes to dialogue between religions, do you think the Arab Spring will help or hinder that process?

Cardinal: I hope it will help, because when you look at the Arab Spring and the dynamic of the movement, the dynamic was: young people asking for dignity, freedom, jobs and these are values that we share, Christians, Muslims and every human being in the world.

Sami: Does the Vatican welcome the Arab Spring in that sense? 

Cardinal: Well I think this is a reality, it is not a question of welcoming, the problem is that we recognize that the aspirations are good. Now, we are to see who is to take over  this Spring, let’s hope it will go towards summer and not winter

Sami: And if it brings, as it seems to be the case in some countries of the Middle East, parties which have Islamic roots or have Islamic orientation, is that a threat to Christians in the region?

Cardinal: I suppose people on the ground will feel like that, but let us hope that the people who have the leadership will take into consideration that we are living in year 2012 and that there is an international law, a humanitarian law, and the experience of history and that reason will prevail over violence and passion…

Sami: So this means the Vatican has still an open mind on the order that is arising in the Arab World, because as you said, the local churches issue warnings and strong statements about rising Islamic forces…

Cardinal: They have an experience not only of today but of many centuries and it is up to them, but I shouldn’t dare to say that the Vatican fears or wishes, we have to be on the ground and listen to the aspirations of people.

Sami: Some churches say that the cause of the tensions is the religion of Islam itself, they say Islam is an intolerant, even an evil religion, how would you comment on that?

Cardinal: You have to remember that Christians and Muslims are in dialogue since many centuries, and not only after the Second Vatican Council as we often read in the newspapers. We have been in contact since the beginning of Islam, so there are different chapters and sometimes violence has prevailed over dialogue. But  now , there is greater awareness that we are condemned to dialogue as I am used to saying. 

 I was reading a quote by a University professor in Tunisia that was saying to his students: “Please don’t let your pen drop off your hands, because if you loose your pens what do you have left? Your knives.” And this is a very wise recommendation…

Sami: One of the places where Christian communities are decreasing, one of the most important in the Middle East is of course in the Holy Land. There it is a bit more complex, you have a standoff between the Churches and the Palestinian Christian communities and the Israeli authorities and the Israeli occupation. What is your message to the Israeli authorities and how they deal with the Christian communities?

Cardinal: In the Holy Land the only thing you can foresee is unpredictability, because anything can change from the evening to the morning. But what I remember when I was there: ordinary people are ready to live together. The problem is the ambitions or the plans of the political leaders and this is another thing and of course and the Vatican , as a subject of international law, has not to interfere  in that. 

But with regard to the Holy Land which is very important for the Holy See, is the issue of the Holy places, and this is sometimes a position which is ignored but I am deeply convinced that if the problem of the Holy places is not adequately resolved, there will be no peace in the Middle East… if you look at the conversations these past years nobody spoke about the problem of the Holy Places and the Holy See is the only one who always said, please don’t leave this issue for the last minute because it is a very complex problem and it has to be dealt with great intelligence, good knowledge of history. The Holy See is in favor of a special status internationally guaranteed for this part of Jerusalem, where the Holy Places of the three monotheistic faiths are open to the believers. 

Sami: Palestinian Christians they say their life under occupation is so hard and that is why they are trying to leave, what do you say to the occupation authorities, what is the Vatican’s message you are certainly trying to preserve the Christian  presence in the Holy Land?

Cardinal: I think there is a principle which is universal which is that everyone has the right to live in peace in the land where he was born.

Sami: How would you address the concerns of Muslims, from their perspective, about invasions into Muslim countries and attacks of Muslim communities , as being at the root of tensions between Muslims and Christians?

Cardinal: This has nothing to do with religion, these are political options that are being taken in order to favor a certain political line, but I think we must always respect the believes of the others, the holy places and the holy books, all these treasures that belong to each community, otherwise this is a jungle and we see the result.

Sami: the European audience has a lot of concerns about immigration, especially Muslim immigration… right wing groups in Europe that say “don’t let these Muslims in, don’t deal with them softly, they might be tolerant people now, but if they become powerful they will destroy the European values of tolerance”, how do you address these concerns?

Cardinal: Well you  are right, to say that in Europe there is a fear of Islam, but it is due to ignorance, because when you speak to right wing groups, and I have spoken to many, they have never opened the Quran, and they never met a Muslim, and we have to do a great effort to educate. We succeeded in avoiding the clash of civilizations, let us avoid the clash of ignorances because most of the problems are coming from misinterpretations or ignorance.

Sami: What would be your message to authorities in Switzerland that seek to ban minarets or authorities in France that seek to impose legal penalties to face veils, what would your message be to them?

Cardinal: I should say,  before talking inform yourself about the meaning of a minaret, inform yourself about the believes of others. Different religions can be a kind of spiritual emulation for other believers and not only opposition I think.

Sami: How do you answer those who say there have been dialogue initiatives for a long time but they haven’t achieved their results and something more practical needs to be done? 

Cardinal: I think that the future is school and university, they must teach the religious facts of history in order  to form a common ground…

Sami: In the East or the West or both?

Cardinal: Both. For example I have seen a book of history which is taught in public schools in the Middle East, the Christians are never called Christians they are called misbelievers, this is not right, it is a question of honesty, at school we can forge a nation, you can shape the mind.

We have to have the same tools in order to be able to have a dialogue.

Sami: Are you calling for children in Egypt to be taught the basics of Christianity at school? Because Europe seems to be moving the opposite way and keeping religion out of the classroom…

Cardinal: I mean, from a cultural point of view, I don’t mean we have to teach them Christianity, but religion as cultural factor , in order to have no ambiguity, you cannot build dialogue in ambiguity.  At least (people ) should  have the basic knowledge of the elements of other religions in order to respect somebody who is believing in another way. 

Sami: By the same token, do you think European classroom need to do the same about Muslims and Islam?

Cardinal: Oh yes, but in Europe we have also to teach Christianity! Because the problem is religion analphabetism, in fact the young generation ignores its own religion, so we have to make a tremendous effort to teach the contents of our faith and of course within our own religious communities and outside in newspapers a and at schools, to have at least a minimum cultural knowledge of the other religion.

TO ARCHBISHOP PATRICK KELLY
Liverpool, Sunday, 19 February 2012

 It is an honor and a joy to be here on behalf of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue to share the spiritual joy of Archbishop Patrick Kelly and of all the diocese on the occasion of his priestly jubilee.

 As a member of the Dicastery in charge of Interreligious Dialogue, Archbishop Kelly has offered an appreciated collaboration to our work. In spite of his heavy pastoral ministry as Archbishop of Liverpool, Patrick Kelly has always been available to put at the disposal of everyone, the gifts that God gave him: this capacity of welcoming the diversity of the convictions of his fellow men and women. But at the same time he has been a courageous preacher of the Gospel of Christ, never putting into brackets the integrity of the Catholic faith.

 Strengthened by the friendship of so many Christian and non-Christian friends, may he continue - and this is our prayer - to be a bridge-builder and a companion on the long pilgrimage towards Truth.  It is important in such a precarious world like ours, to be able to rely on believers convinced that love is stronger than all tensions and divisions.

As Christians particularly, we cannot forget the recommendation of the Apostle Paul of Tarsus, “Have the same regard for one another…  Do not be haughty… do not repay anyone evil for evil… be concerned for what is normal in the sight of all.  If possible on your part, live at peace with all.  Do not conquer evil with evil, but conquer evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)  More than a roadmap, it is our prayer for today and tomorrow!  Thank you.