Dear Hindu Friends,
It is with great joy that I share with you the annual message of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on the occasion of Deepavali entitled Christians and Hindus: Forming the Young Generation into Peace Makers.
For this joyous “festival of lights,” I would like to add my own greetings to the current President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran. First, I would simply offer a greeting of peace and share with you my hope that together we Christians and Hindus can live and work together in peace so as to be a sign of hope and light for the world.
Second, I would like to add to Cardinal Tauran’s remarks on the importance of educating the youth so as to prepare them to be peacemakers in the world. It is my strong conviction that such a noble and necessary goal originates in and with the family unit. Indeed, during this high holy season in the Hindu tradition, a time in which the ultimate triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, is celebrated, great attention is given to the enduring bond of family and friends precisely as a sure sign of this triumph. Let us together, therefore, Catholics and Hindus, strive to witness together in the public square to the centrality of the family unit for any peaceful and just society. In doing so, we shall avail ourselves of the surest possibility for advancing the great goal of forming future generations to be bearers of the light, especially the light that comes with peace!
Finally, on behalf of the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, please accept our continued support and pledge of friendship!
Happy Deepavali to you all!
Bishop Denis Madden
Chair
Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops