Social Dialogue as a contribution to Peace

All of us are aware of the necessity of peace for the smooth running of life and its structures. Evangelization happens primarily through dialogue and such dialogue can be effective only in an ambient of peace. Hence, Pope Francis in his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, emphasizes the need for dialogue and highlights certain important areas that the Church must look into when evangelizing.

The Pope indicates that Evangelization involves dialogue in three areas:

1) With states

2) With society including culture and sciences

3) With other believers

The standpoint from which the church speaks is that which faith offers, along with two thousand years of experience and the present life and suffering of human beings. This forms the background from which the Church enters into dialogue.

(1) Dialogue with the State

The Church is responsible for proclaiming a Gospel of Peace. She seeks to cooperate with national and international authorities, committed to a similar cause. Besides preaching, every Catholic is called to be a peacemaker and a credible witness of a reconciled life. The goal of such a dialogue is the establishment of a just, responsible and inclusive society, which is desperately wanting in our world.

The principal author of this process is the people themselves and their culture and not a single class, elite group etc. The process must be democratic in the true sense of the word. It is the responsibility of the state to safeguard and promote the common good of society, based on the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, fully committed to political dialogue and consensus building.

The church, when dialoguing with the state, cannot claim to have the solutions to all the world’s problems. She supports those programs which best respond to the dignity of each person and the common good.

(2) Dialogue with Society     

The church stands against positivism and scientism. She proposes a middle path of synthesis between the methods of empirical science and fields like philosophy, theology and faith, which deal with the transcendental realm and human intelligence.

Faith does not fear reason but seeks and trusts it. Faith and reason cannot contradict each other. Evangelization is attentive to scientific advances and wishes to shed the light of faith and natural law upon them, keeping at the center the human person. All of society can be enriched with this fruitful dialogue, provided it is properly carried out. It establishes new vistas for thought and expands the possibilities of reason.

Church does not wish to play spoilt-sport to science and its developments. She rejoices rather, in the God-given potential in man to make such discoveries and research in this field. Whenever the sciences-rigorously focused on their specific field of inquiry-arrive at a conclusion which reason cannot refute, faith does not contradict it.

It is not right on the believer’s part to claim that a scientific opinion which is attractive but not sufficiently verified has the same weight as a dogma of faith. At times, some scientists exceed the limits of their purview by making statements beyond their field. The problem here is not with reason but with the promotion of ideologies which block the path of dialogue.

(3) Dialogue with Non-Catholics

A) Ecumenical dialogue:

It is a response to the prayer of Jesus (Jn 17:21) Unity within the Christian fold would increase credibility and add strength to the Gospel message. The Pope urges to put aside suspicion and mistrust, and to focus on the common traits we share. This could become a potential starting point for further dialogue. The aim of such dialogue is not just about being better informed regarding their beliefs and so on but reaping the good things the Spirit has sown in them.

B) With Judaism:

The Church holds them in regard in view of their lasting covenant with God. They share our belief in one God and the revealed word. The Church is enriched with the values Judaism has to offer. The Pope proposes reading Hebrew texts together and mining the riches of God’s word. Such a joint venture would be immensely beneficial for both parties and would also serve to provide a diversity of viewing the same texts. Besides, they can share ethical concerns and a common concern for justice and development.

C) With Islam:

Islam shares the same root with our faith, namely, the faith of Abraham. He is held as a venerable patriarch in both traditions, and both ascribe their origins to him. Their belief in One, Merciful God is also a belief we hold. Their sacred writings have retained some Christian teachings. Jesus and Mary are held in reverence and venerated. They are examples of prayer and their participation in religious services is edifying and worthy of imitation. A special conviction we share is that life is from God and for God and we need to respond to God with a commitment to a way of life laid down in accordance to His will and by showing mercy, especially towards those most in need.

To foster healthy dialogue the Pope calls for:

• Suitable training for those wishing to dialogue with Muslims. The aim of such training is to deepen the roots in ones own faith and doctrine, while being open enough to engage in a dialogue.
• Embracing with affection and respect for Muslims.
• Avoiding hateful generalizations. Media constructs need to be guarded against lest they distort our ideas and prejudice us.  

D) Inter religious Dialogue

An attitude of openness in truth and love is a must from our part. Inter religious dialogue is necessary for peace and hence, becomes a duty. It entails accepting other ways of thinking, living and speaking. It is effective in serving justice and peace which should be the basic principles of society. Joint efforts to deal with specific themes like ecology and corruption could grow into a process through which both sides are purified and enriched. Such dialogue expresses the love for truth and opens minds thereby preventing fundamentalism.

The church, however, must keep ever in mind the bond between dialogue and proclamation which calls for maintaining and intensifying relations with people of other faiths. True openness involves remaining steadfast in one’s convictions, clear and joyful in one’s identity, while at the same time being open to understand the other party. There is no room for relativism, which only ends in deceiving and denying the good which we have been given to share. Evangelization and inter religious dialogue mutually support and nourish one another. The church recognizes the diversity of religious expressions, perceiving them as having their source in the same Holy Spirit. Although they lack the meaning and efficacy of the sacraments, they can still be channels of liberation from atheistic immanentism or purely individual religious experiences. The practical wisdom endemic to cultures is also beneficial to better live and enrich our beliefs.

Dialogue in the Context of Religious Freedom:

Religious freedom, the church asserts is a fundamental right. Civil authorities are responsible for upholding and ensuring this right. A healthy pluralism of religious beliefs, which genuinely respects differences and values them does not entail privatizing religion- relegating it to the silent interior of one’s conscience or limiting it to a temple, mosque, church or any religious building. Such an attitude would represent a new form of discrimination or authoritarianism. The Pope beseeches respect for the atheist and agnostic. He asks to see in them allies, in defending human dignity and peace, ecology and other issues plaguing our world.