A Senior Vatican official has called on religious leaders to promote reconciliation and peace amid growing violence and intolerance worldwide, as he addressed a meeting in India. Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, made the appeal while addressing an interreligious gathering for peace in Mumbai on Oct. 4.
The meeting, organized by the Interreligious Dialogue Commission of the Archdiocese of Bombay as part of the Church’s Jubilee Year 2025 celebrations, brought together leaders from Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions, along with civic representatives, scholars, and peace activists.
Linking the gathering to the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, Cardinal Koovakad described the saint as “the saint of fraternal love, simplicity, and joy” and “a pioneer of interreligious dialogue who sowed seeds of peace.” Quoting Pope Leo XIII, he said religion “is not a source of conflict but a wellspring of healing and reconciliation.” Interreligious dialogue, he added, enables believers to “bear witness to the truth that faith unites more than it divides” and strengthens “our hope for a more just world.” Reflecting on the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s landmark document on interreligious relations, Koovakad said its principles continue to inspire “fraternity, friendship, unity, and solidarity for the good of humanity.”
