Working Together

By Shilendra Boora SJ - Independent Catholic News - London, UK
Thursday, February 21, 2008

The South Asian Jesuit Secretariat for Dialogue, in association with St Francis Xavier Movement convened a two day seminar on inter-religious dialogue from 15-16th of February at Indian Social Institute, New Delhi.

Representatives from all the major religions of India, namely Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and subaltern traditions took part.

The first day addressed the question "How far can a religion be theologically reshaped in the encounter with the other, remaining both meaningful for its adherents and open to other believers?".

Prof. Bettina Baeumer, President of Abhishiktananda Society, in her inaugural address stressed the primacy of spiritual experience one's own religion, in inter religious dialogue, for only when we have experienced that core in one's own religion, one can be open to other traditions and religions.

It is spiritual experiences that converge going beyond Institutional and theological differences.

Elevating the importance on de-identification she said " if the aim of religion is to liberate its followers, this liberation has to go along with a de-identification , breaking down walls and limitations, based not on Divine revelation or enlightenment, but on narrow ego centred human identification. She also cautioned against the fashionable usage of "Dialogue".

Fr. Michael Amaladoss, SJ, Director of the Institute of Dialogue with Cultures and Religions, Loyola College, presented a paper on "Indian Christian Theological Issues in the context of Inter- Religious Dialogue" (...)

Theological issues from a Hindu perspective were presented by Prof Kapil Kapoor, a retired Professor of English and Concurrent Professor of Sanskrit studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (...)

Theory of nama(Name) was central to the presentation of Prof J.P.S. Uberoi, Professor of Sociology at Delhi School of Economics, who presented theological issues from Sikh Perspectives (...)

Dr Asghar Ali Engineer, a liberation theologian and communal harmony activist He was given Right livelihood awardee from Swedish Foundation; had subscribed to the inclusive nature of religion in his presentation on Sufi Theological issues (...)

Theological Issues from European Perspectives were presented by Dr.Ambrogio Bongiovanni. He is Founder and President of the Saint Francis Xavier Movement; Acting Director of the Institute for the Study of Religions and Culture of the Gregorian University in Rome; Professor at the Gregorian University and Pontificia Universita Urbaniana, Rome (...)

Mr. Naresh Mathur is a Supreme Court lawyer from Delhi, has studied Buddhist Madyamika philosophy privately with Geshe Palden Drakpa at Tibet House in Delhi,trustee of Root Institute since 1984 and was Director of Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre in Delhi (...)

Theological Issues on Subaltern perspectives were presented by Dr. John Mundu S.J., he is the Director of Jesuit Regional Theologate Centre, Ranchi (...)

Second day of the Seminar started with a presentation of the summary by Prof. Leonard Fernando S.J, who threaded through the Issues that were discussed on the first day.

This day the seminar dealt with "What should be the social impact of these new relations, and how working together, the different religious traditions can have real impact in the concrete life of the people?

(...)