n. 12
dicembre 2004

 

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The theological foundations of the inter religious dialogue
di Claude Geffrè*

 

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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.

 

 

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