The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue has issued its annual message to Muslims worldwide for the month of Ramadan and the feast of ‘Id al-Fitr 1447 H. / 2026 A.D., highlighting solidarity between Christians and Muslims during a shared season of fasting.
The message, dated February 17 and released Friday, is signed by Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the dicastery, and its secretary, Monsignor Indunil J.K. Kodithuwakku.
Addressing “Muslim brothers and sisters,” Cardinal Koovakad expressed “closeness, solidarity and respect” for believers in God, quoting the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra Aetate on the Church’s esteem for Muslims, who worship the one, merciful Creator.
What is the Ramadan fast?
-Daily fast: From dawn to sunset, Muslims abstain from food, drink, and marital relations.
-Spiritual purpose: The fast fosters self-discipline, repentance, gratitude, and attentiveness to God.
-Charity: Special emphasis is placed on almsgiving and care for the poor.
-Breaking the fast: Each day’s fast ends at sunset with a meal called iftar.
-‘Id al-Fitr: The month concludes with a communal prayer and celebration known as the “Feast of Breaking the Fast.”
For Catholics, parallels with Lent — fasting, prayer, and almsgiving — offer opportunities for mutual understanding and dialogue rooted in shared devotion to God.
This year, he noted, Ramadan coincides with the Christian season of Lent, a convergence he described as providential. “This shared journey allows us to acknowledge our inherent fragility and to confront the trials that weigh upon our hearts,” the message states.
The cardinal acknowledged the difficulty of contemporary crises, from personal suffering to global instability, warning against the temptations of despair and violence. “Neither can ever be an acceptable path for believers,” he wrote, urging Christians and Muslims alike to fix their gaze on God, “the invisible Light,” and to seek renewal through prayer, fasting, and charity.
Quoting St. Paul — “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:21) — the message calls for moral courage and spiritual discipline. It also cites Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, referencing appeals for fraternity and for a peace born of the “disarmament of heart, mind and life.”
The Catholic Church, the cardinal affirmed, stands in solidarity with those who suffer “because of your thirst for justice, equality, dignity and freedom,” insisting that believers share a responsibility to restore peace in a fractured world.
Ramadan concludes with ‘Id al-Fitr, the festive celebration marking the end of the fast.
