The
inter-religious dialogue is one of the major challenges for the Church
in the third millennium. The document Domine Jesu, published in
September 2000, us that cautions against some misleading theology of
religions, has been considered as a serious warning before the wrongly
enlightened enthusiasm in answer to the inter-religious dialogue itself
which is, rather, a historical chance for the future
conviviality of the entire human community.
In this article, after a brief
introduction on the difference between the inter-religious dialogue and
the ecumenical dialogue, I shall proceed in three stages. I will begin
by insisting on the newness of the inter-religious dialogue, which
coincides with the planetary era of humanity. I will try, therefore, to
reflect at length on the theological foundations of the religious
pluralism and, therefore, on the inter-religious dialogue. In the third
part, then, I hope to make clear the urgency of the Muslim-Christian
dialogue, that ought to favour our solidarity in the defence of common
values. These are of capital importance for the future of the world
community.
Introduction: Ecumenical
Dialogue and inter-religious dialogue
As far as the commandment of the
Lord Jesus is concerned, the inter-religious dialogue seeks the visible
unity of all the separated Christians in our history. Not a mythic unity
of religions, which would not be possible unless we sacrifice the
richness of each religious tradition. The dialogue, in fact, demands a
better knowledge of others, a reciprocal respect and emulation.
The newness of the
inter-religious dialogue
For
the first time, after many centuries, the religions are ready to
overcome the ancestral discussions to put themselves at the service of
the big causes, which solicit men and women of good will. Since Vatican
II, the Church has been playing the role of a pioneer, by stating of
not rejecting anything that is true and holy in other Religions, (cfr
Nostra aetate, No. 2). But the same will is found also in other
religions (cfr the world conference of religions on peace). The
most living dialogue, however, is that which contributes to reciprocal
emulation in the search of peace, in the fight against the injustices of
the world system of economy, in putting obstacles against the pillage
of natural resources, in the defence of life and human rights, in the
fight against all kinds of religious fanaticism.
The inter-religious dialogue
coincides with the planetary era of humanity, its fourth era (E.Morin)
and, for the first time, humanity is aware of having its destiny in its
own hands. The religions, therefore, are not responsible only of our
salvation and liberation beyond death, but reveal their historical
common responsibility, before the destiny of mankind on earth.
In the era of mondialisation, we
feel the need of a global ethics that may draw a benefit from the moral
resources of the great religions, as well as from the contributions of
the secular ethics. The religions, in particular, are expected to let
themselves be interrogated by the legitimate aspirations of the human
presence. It is in this context that we need to understand the
possibility and necessity of an inter-religious dialogue.
Far from leading us to
relativism, the inter-religious dialogue will help us to discover the
singularity of the Christian religion and to insist on its dialoguing
character. In order to found theologically the inter-religious dialogue,
we need to reflect on the religious pluralism.
The religious pluralism as a
theological question
The Church encourages the
inter-religious dialogue because she has understood that the religious
pluralism is a historical insuperable reality and that it is perhaps
related to a mysterious plan of God. Thus, the theology of religions is
not only a theology of salvation for the unfaithful, but a religious
pluralism that reflects on the meaning of the pluralism of the religious
traditions within the unique project of God. Actually, it is even too
simple to condemn the theologians who accept to distinguish an actual
religious pluralism from the principle of religious pluralism.
Before the massive religious
pluralism, it is legitimate to interrogate oneself about the mysterious
will of God, who blesses the multiplicity of cultures and, therefore, of
religions. Though the Scripture does not offer clear answers to this
question, it is certain that the New Testament witnesses to God's will
of universal salvation. We must remember also the old doctrine of the
Fathers of the Church, who state the presence of the semina
Verbi throughout human history, and the more original intuitions of
Vatican II concerning this mysterious design of God, whose ultimate
significance escapes our knowledge.
The story of the Babel tower (Gn
11) is a negative aspect. It is about the confusion of languages as
demolition of men's pride and a revenge for a unity that belongs to God
alone; but this implies also a positive aspect. It is a going back to
the original condition of man as a creature. God the creator is a God
who blesses the multiplicity of races, of languages, of cultures and the
positive elements of all the religions. The miracle of Pentecost at the
end of Revelation reveals that God assumes the diversity of languages
and the religious forms of humanity.
The economy of the incarnated
Word
The
theological fundamentalism of religious pluralism which makes the
inter-religious dialogue legitimate, is the idea that the economy of the
incarnate Word is the sacrament of a vaster economy which
coincides with the history itself of humanity. The tout court
history has never been left to itself. It has always been a history of
salvation that keeps on being the place of the incarnated "semina Verbi"
and the visit of the Spirit. It is, therefore, a matter of listening to
a multiplicity of voices towards God, without compromising the
uniqueness of Christ's mediation and the unique privilege of the
Christian religion, which would have no sense without a reference to
Christ, who is much more than a founder of religion.
Here we meet the major
theological difficulty of the inter-religious dialogue for the Church:
how to speak of a dialogue at parity level, when from its very start te
Christian Religion is in an exceptional position since it is originated
by a founder who is not only a mediator among others, but the Son of God
sent as the unique saviour of the world?
The temptation of some
theologians who are in contact with great religions like Islam and
Hinduism, is of making relative the salvation donated by Jesus Christ,
since God alone can save: one would be tempted to say that Christ is the
unique Saviour of the Christians only.
Now, we must keep in view that,
from the very instant of creation, God wanted to bind to Christ his
universal plan of salvation, but this does not mean that the mediation
of Christ is absolutely exclusive out of other voices of salvation, on
the condition of adding straightaway that these other voices of
salvation are nothing but the derived mediations, which do not have the
saving meaning if they are not referred to their secret bond with the
mystery of Christ himself. It is, therefore, possible to conciliate a
constitutive Christ-centred ideology with an inclusive pluralism.
Evidently, it is a question of taking seriously the semina of
truth, of bounty and of holiness itself present in other religions and
not to confuse the universality of the mystery of Christ with the
universality of the Christian religion as a historical religion. To
avoid the turning of the Christian Religion into an imperialist
religion, we need to reflect on the mystery of incarnation and to
manifest the dialoguing character of the Christian religion.
The dialoguing character of the
Christian religion
If
the Christian religion can dialogue with other religions, it is because
it carries with itself the proper principles of our limitations. We can
prove it by starting from the paradox of incarnation, from the mystery
of a crucified God and from the duality between Church and Israel.
The paradox of incarnation.-
It is by insisting on the historic particularity of Jesus of Nazareth,
namely of the man-God, as a unity of what is absolutely universal and
absolutely concrete, that we are able of making the Christian religion
not absolute. No Christian man throughout twenty centuries could ever
presume of incarnating the essence of our religion as the religion of
the final and definitive Revelation of God's mystery. The Revelation
witnessed by the New Testament cannot exhaust the fullness of the rich
mystery of Christ. The Christian truth is neither exclusive nor
inclusive of other religious truths. It is singular and relative to part
of the truth which other religions are bearers of. Regarding these other
seeds of truth, it would be better if we spoke of critical values, more
than explicitly of Christian values. They will find their fulfilment in
the mystery of Christ at the end of times, in a way known to God alone.
A theology of the kenosis of
God. -
To exorcise every temptation
of totalitarism, we have to appeal to a theology of the Cross. The cross
will always be the symbol of a universality bound to the sacrifice of a
particularity. It is the kenosis of Christ in his equality with God that
has made the Resurrection possible. In the light of the mystery of the
cross, we understand better that the Christian religion, far from being
an exclusive totality, is defined in terms of relations, of dialogue and
also of wants.
The duality of Israel and the
Church. -
The Christ is brought to fulfilment by the whole preparation of the Old
Covenant. However, we need to re-interpret the notion of fulfilment in a
non totalitarian sense. In function of the theology of Judaism, after
the teaching of Vatican II, we need to state that Israel is relentless
and does not let itself be integrated in the Church of history True,
Jesus is the fulfilment of the promises of the Old Testament, but the
Church does not substitute herself to Israel. The new covenant is the
extension of Israel's privilege to all the nations. The original
relation of the growing Church with Judaism is, therefore, an example
of an actual relation of the Gospel with other religions. It is just
because of their difference that they will be brought to fulfilment in
Christ at the end of times.
The urgency of the
Muslim-Christian dialogue
Before
the negative effects of mondialisation and the risks of a fracture
between the West and the Arab-Muslim world, the conviviality between
Christians and Muslims is a considerable stake for the defence of common
values. I would successively distinguish the sense of an ever greater
God, the respect of authentic humanity, the fight for justice and the
safeguarding of creation..
An ever greater God.
- the Christian faith
in God-Trinity must allow to be interpellated by Islam when it risks to
go back to a monotheism at the cost of a unique God. On the contrary,
the Muslims have not yet finished to meditate on God the Father of Jesus
and on its revealing aim regarding the true transcendence of God.
The
fight for justice.
- both religions have
the common vocation of launching a prophetic warning before the
structural injustices of contemporary world. Without any doubt, it is
not necessary to go back to a religion to fight for the defence and
promotion of human rights. The immediate foundation of human rights is a
consensus concerning the inviolable dignity of each human being, but the
permanent violation of these rights in the world keeps on showing that
the Charter of man's rights needs a more radical foundation. This
foundation of the man's inviolable dignity is laid with the Biblical
revelation on the creation of man and woman to the image of God. This is
a common heritage of both the Bible and the Quran.
The
safeguarding of creation.
- To defend the
rights of the human beings is not sufficient if, at the same time, we do
not respect the rights of the Earth. Before an eventual ecological
catastrophe of the planet, we feel the urgency of a theology of creation
that may provide a radical foundation to our trust in the future, in
life, in our being. Christians and Muslims will be benefited by paying
more attention to the sense of the beauty and stability of creation, as
the Quran also witnesses.
*Responsible
person for the ecumenism in the Diocese of Bruxelles.