As Hindus around the world this weekend gather to celebrate Diwali, the annual Festival of Light, the Vatican has issued greetings in a message entitled: ‘Hindus and Christians: committed to integral human development.
Dear Hindu Friends,
1. It is my joy to greet you all, once again, in the name of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue: a happy Deepavali! Religious Festivals enable us to revitalize our relationship with God and one another. May this Festival of Lights, while elevating our minds and hearts towards God, the Supreme Light, strengthen fellowship among us and bless us all with happiness and peace.
2. Integral human development implies the advance towards the true good of every individual, community and society, in every single dimension of human life: social, economic, political, intellectual, spiritual and religious.
3. Such authentic human development can be achieved only by assuming a shared responsibility for one another and by seriously engaging in collaborative action. This springs from our very nature as human beings and our belonging to one human family.
4. Respect for others therefore implies the recognition of their freedom: freedom of conscience, thought and religion. When persons feel respected in their primary choice as religious beings, only then are they able to encounter others and cooperate for the progress of humanity. This shapes a more peaceful social order conducive to development.
Let us all, as people of good will, join together to dispel every darkness that hinders a true vision of co-existence, religious harmony and integral development for each and every person.
May Deepavali be an occasion to celebrate our friendship and boldly proclaim the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and work together to bring about an era of true freedom ‘for all’ and integral human development ‘of all’.
My best wishes, once again, for a splendid and joyous Diwali!
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran
President
Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata
Secretary
My comment.
Rome is filled with the spirit of antichrist. To ask for unity around a common believe around God without Jesus, makes the Roman Catholics imposers and deceivers, The Vatican is the center for a the rise of the end time religion, when people from all nations shall gather in unity in denial that Jesus of Nazareth is the only way to the Kingdom of Heaven.
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Good grief you go out of your way to hate Catholics. Can you name another church that has brought more people to Christ?
Dear umfug.
Shalom, and love in Jesus the Messiah. He loves Catholics. They just have to repent from all their paganism, and He will save them.
I’m sure your god will be very pleased with your hate-filled attitude.
Dear Chris.
Shalom, and welcome to this site.
The truth will always hurt. When you are a child of the devil, you need to change your ways. Jesus the Messiah died for the sins of both Catholics and Hindus. But since they both deny and rejects Him, they are in for trouble on the day of Judgment. Its just around the corner.
Your website seems to be dedicated anti Catholic. I find it disturbing that so many professed Christians of every denomination feel the need to claim Catholics are wrong about scripture when in fact there would be no New Testament without the church. I guess in the last couple of hundred years all the new forms of Christianity figured out what the scriptures really mean that the Catholic church compiled. Congratulations on your success.
Dear Umfug.
You wrote:
Your website seems to be dedicated anti Catholic.
My reply:
This website is telling people the truth. I use Bible verses. Please use the scripture to tell me were I have gone wrong, and I will repent.
I love Catholics. I meet hundreds of them every day. Many of them have come to faith. Faith in the Messiah Jesus from Nazareth.