SKILFULLY AND WISELY

While, in ecumenical dialogue, the Churches have "a common and shared platform", in inter-religious dialogue "there's no such platform", and therefore - said mgr. Amato - "the aims of the two dialogues are different": "The purpose of ecumenical dialogue is to achieve the unity of Christians in the only Church of Christ". Conversely, the purpose of inter-religious dialogue is not - "as some theosophical currents would lead us to believe" - the creation of "a universal, syncretistic religion, which acknowledges a least common denominator in every religion". Boundless is the horizon in which inter-religious dialogue can be effectively accomplished: from actions for achieving peace in the world to the protection of religious freedom and the protection of life, especially if defenceless. Inter-religious dialogue too requires skills and an in-depth knowledge of one's religious identity. "One cannot make a clean sweep of one's Christian identity. Many theologians for example, to attain a God shared by everyone, put aside the key figure of Christianity which is Jesus". "But - warned the prefect - to enter someone else's territory the best thing to do is showing one's identity card". Finally, "dialogue will not remove evangelisation and the announcement of one's faith, nor the call to conversion or baptism".
© SIR

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