Vatican Cardinal urges faith leaders to foster reconciliation amid global violence at Mumbai interfaith summit, invoking St. Francis and papal teachings.
Newsroom (06/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) A top Vatican official implored faith leaders from diverse traditions to harness their spiritual influence for reconciliation and healing, as violence and intolerance surge around the world.
Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, delivered the plea during an interfaith summit on peace here on Oct. 4. Speaking to an audience of Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Zoroastrian, Jewish and Muslim representatives, alongside civic leaders, academics and activists, Koovakad underscored religions’ pivotal role in mending societal divides.
“Religions, through their spiritual and moral resources, have a unique role in fostering reconciliation and healing,” Koovakad said. He called on faith communities to extend hope “to those who have lost it — especially the poor, the suffering, the marginalized, the persecuted, and the most vulnerable in society.”
The cardinal framed interreligious dialogue as “a necessary condition for peace in the world,” challenging attendees to embrace their roles as “pilgrims of hope and builders of peace.”
Organized by the Archdiocese of Bombay’s Interreligious Dialogue Commission, the gathering formed part of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year 2025 observances. It coincided with the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, whom Koovakad hailed as “the saint of fraternal love, simplicity, and joy” and a trailblazer in interfaith outreach who “sowed seeds of peace.”
Drawing on historical papal teachings, Koovakad invoked Pope Leo XIII’s assertion that religion serves not as “a source of conflict but a wellspring of healing and reconciliation.” He argued that such dialogue allows believers to “bear witness to the truth that faith unites more than it divides,” bolstering aspirations for “a more just world.”
The event also marked the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s groundbreaking declaration on relations with non-Christian faiths. Koovakad said the document’s tenets endure as a blueprint for “fraternity, friendship, unity, and solidarity for the good of humanity.”
Echoing contemporary pontiffs, he cited Pope Francis’ view of the Holy Spirit as “a font of peace and love,” which underpins the Church’s dedication to affirming “the beauty and truth in all religions.” Koovakad further referenced Pope Benedict XVI, who likened interreligious engagement to “a journey together, even with differing images of God, towards the source of Light.”
As global conflicts rage from the Middle East to South Asia, Koovakad’s address arrives at a moment of heightened scrutiny on faith-based initiatives for conflict resolution. Organizers described the Mumbai forum as a microcosm of the inclusive ethos St. Francis embodied, with participants pledging collaborative efforts to combat intolerance in local and international arenas.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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