Initiate inter-religious dialogue

Initiate inter-religious dialogue - Zed to Pope

"Pope Benedict, being the leader of the largest religious organisation of the world, should invite leaders of major world religions and denominations to Vatican and initiate a dialogue," says Hindu statesman Zed. Read on to find out more

CJ: Correspondent

Thu, May 14, 2009 11:50:35 IST

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Religion And Culture :

WELCOMING POPE Benedict’s reported affirmation of the importance of inter-religious dialogue in the pursuit of peace in Jerusalem, Hindus have urged him to take the lead in organising one himself.

Serious and honest inter-faith dialogue was the need of the hour, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed pointed out in a statement in Nevada (USA), and added that Pope Benedict, being the leader of the largest religious organisation of the world, should be the one to initiate it by inviting leaders of major world religions and denominations to the Vatican.

The Pope reportedly said during his Jerusalem visit that "The particular contribution of religions to the quest for peace lies primarily in the wholehearted, united search for God."

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that religion is the most powerful, complex and far reaching force in our society, so we must take it seriously. The statesman further said that this proposed meeting of religious world leaders should take place after intensive deliberations, with a concrete plan about common religious concerns, such as human improvement, peace, ecological responsibility, social and economic development, etc in mind. Maybe this gathering could become an annual feature after that, he added.

Zed argued that in our shared pursuit for the truth, we could learn from one another and thus could arrive nearer to the truth. He said that this dialogue might help us vanquish the stereotypes, prejudices, caricatures, etc passed on to us from previous generations. “Dialogue has brought us reciprocal enrichment, so we should be spiritually richer than before the contact,” he said.

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, heads the Roman Catholic Church, which is the largest of the Christian denominations. Hinduism, the oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents, and moksha, (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

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	The Vatican already holds inter-faith dialogue. The Pope met with religious leaders when he visited the United States and Australia. Rajan Zed should attend the mammoth meetings of Hindu Vishwa Parishad (VHP) and preach the need for respect of other religions. The new form of Hinduism being fashioned by VHP seems to have forgotten the best of Hinduism, namely universal acceptance of all religions as equal as preached by Sri Ramakrishna and other great Hindu sages.
	Enamavu, Chavakkad Taluk, Thrissur District, Kerala \| 19 May 2009 Reply to Comment \| New Comment \| Report Abuse