Interfaith dialogue: Pope calls for trust instead of suspicion

A Vatican delegation is present, led by Indian Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

In his message to participants, Leo XIV emphasizes the responsibility of religions to “continue nurturing a culture of harmony and peace.” This culture needs “the sunlight of truth, the water of charity, and the soil of freedom and justice,” explains the pontiff. He continues the metaphor by comparing those engaged in interreligious dialogue to “gardeners tending to this field of fraternity.”

“Where others have sown distrust, we choose trust,” continued the head of the Catholic Church, who urged us to “stand together against the forces of division, hatred and violence that have too often plagued humanity.”

He warned against “suspicions,” “stereotypes,” “prejudice,” and extremists who “exploit fears to sow division.”

Leo XIV cited a shared commitment to “society’s most vulnerable” as the “genuine measure of interreligious friendship.” In this regard, he praised the “inspiring examples” set by Bangladesh in recent years, “when people of different faiths joined in solidarity and prayer in times of natural disaster or tragedy.”

Throughout the text, the 267th pope reaffirms the Catholic Church's commitment to walking alongside other religions. He encourages perseverance despite “misunderstandings or past wounds” so as to deliver a “powerful message”: that “peace, not conflict, is our most cherished dream.”

The Pope notes his hopes “that all Bangladeshis, and all humanity, may move from suspicion to trust, from isolation to collaboration.”

Bangladesh, a South Asian country, has been visited by three popes: Paul VI in 1970 — when the territory was still part of Pakistan; John Paul II in 1986; and Francis in 2017.

According to U.S. government statistics, in 2022 Sunni Muslims made up 91% of the population, Hindus 8%, Buddhists 0.6%, and Catholics 0.2% (400,000).