Report for the seminar
on the
Contribution of H.H. Pope John Paul II to Interfaith Dialogue
K. J. Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham, Mumbai and the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Vatican Jointly organized a seminar on the contribution of H. H. Pope John Paul II to Interfaith Dialogue on the 27th and 28th August, 2005 at the K. J. Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham, Somaiya Vidyavihar Campus, Vidyavihar, Mumbai.
27th August 2005
The programme on the 27th August commenced at 9.30 a.m. with the Hindu prayer which was followed by the Christian prayer. After the rendition of both the prayers, the inaugural ceremony was held. The inaugural function took place in the presence of His Grace Archbishop Oswald Gracias, Agra. Dr. S. K. Somaiya presided over the occasion. His Grace Archbishop Oswald Gracias was felicitated on the occasion by Dr. Shantilal K. Somaiya with flowers, shawl and a memento commemorating the symposium. A very cordial welcome was extended to all the dignitaries present on the stage, and bouquets were presented to them.
The introductory paper of the seminar was read by Dr. S. K. Somaiya. After the presentation of his paper on the contribution of H. H. Pope John Paul II to interfaith Dialogue, Shri Samir Somaiya gave an introduction to His Grace Archbishop Oswald Gracias. His Grace Archbishop Oswald Gracias bestowed his blessings and delivered his speech which consisted of reflections of H. H. Pope John Paul II on Interfaith Dialogue. It was a very enlightening speech and the audience certainly came to know about the various aspects and facets of the personality and philosophy of H. H. Pope John Paul II.
There was a lunch break for one hour from 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. In the post-lunch session, papers were presented by Dr. Mrs. Kala Acharya, Prof. Gianfranco Colzani, Rev. Fr. Adam Bunnell and Mr. Roberto Catalano. From Dr. Kala Acharya's speech we come to know that the Late H. H. Pope John Paul II believed that society cannot bring citizens the happiness they expect from it unless society itself is built upon dialogue and dialogue in turn is built upon trust, presupposes not only justice but also mercy. Fr. Adam Bunnell dilated on the indomitable spirit of the Late H. H. Pope John Paul II which inspired him to take the courageous step of seeking forgiveness from the people whom Christianity had wronged. In Roberto Catalano's paper we find mention that the Late H. H. Pope John Paul II was a man of dialogue throughout his life. He dialogued with the communist regime, with the youth as a priest and later as a bishop, he dialogued with intellectuals, and, above all, he dialogued with all men of goodwill.
At the end of the session, the vote of thanks was given by Dr. Lalita Namjoshi, after which there was the concluding prayer which was rendered by the member of the Peetham.
28th August 2005
The programme on Sunday 28th August 2005 began at 10 a.m. with the Hindu Prayer followed by the Christian prayer. Dr. S. K. Somaiya gave the welcome speech in honour of His Excellency Cardinal Ivan Dias who was the revered guest for the day, and paid a tribute to him with flowers. Dr. S. K. Somaiya said that His Holiness Pope John Paul II was one of the luminaries who strove for bringing the mankind together for peace and harmony. His Holiness felt necessary that the 'difference' and the 'specific nature' of the other party should be known before one enters into dialogue. He believed that one should respect the intelligence, freedom and responsibility of the other party.
After this, Dr. Kala Acharya read out the introduction to His Excellency Cardinal Ivan Dias. Then Cardinal Ivan Diuas gave his speech on the contribution of Late H. H. Pope John Paul II to interfaith dialogue. After his speech, Prof. Sandra Mazzolini presented her paper on the contribution of Late Pope John Paul II to Interfaith Dialogue. Prof. Sandra Mazzolini's paper was a brief evaluation of Alexander Mazur's thesis on the late H. H. Pope John Paul II. It may be mentioned that it highlights the fact that the contribution of the Late H. H. Pope John Paul II to inter-religious dialogue is in fact a distinctly pronounced itinerary of various stages, scanned of gestures particularly significant for e.g., the already mentioned meeting of Assisi and from the various types of teachings referred to different addressees, to which a particular significance is attributed either for its impact, or for staring points of novelty contained in them. Following Prof. Sandra Mazzolini's speech, there was the paper presentation by Ms Marina Prachhia which also included a short film show on the inter-faith gathering held at Assisi at which the late Pope John Paul II was present. After this there was a tea-break for fifteen minutes from 11.30 a.m. to 11.45 a.m. Following the tea-break papers were presented by Rev. Fr. Carlo Torriani and Dr. Lalita Namjoshi. In the paper presented by Fr. Carlo Torriani we come across a few extracts from Encyclical Letter Redemptoris Missio (RM) of 1991 of the H. H. Pope John Paul II. In one of the extracts, it is mentioned that dialogue does not originate from tactical concerns or self interest, but it is an activity with its own guiding principles, requirements and dignity, and it is demanded by deep respect for every thing that has been brought about in human being by the spirit who blows where he wills (R.M.56). In Dr. Lalita Namjoshi's Paper we find mention that in the modern world a rising trend of renouncing religion all together is seen H. H. Pope John Paul II expected the, Interfaith Dialogue to counter this threat because he felt that without reference to God, the whole world of created values remains as it were suspended in an absolute vacuum, and evil is put forward as a good and good itself is rejected.
After this there was a lunch break for an hour from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. In the post-lunch session from 2 p.m. to 3.15 p.m. papers were presented by Prof. Suresh Upadhyaya, Father S. M. Michael, Dr. Mrs. Shubhada Joshi, Fr. Stephen Fernandes and Rev. Bishop Thomas Dabre. From the paper presented by Prof. S. A. Upadhyaya we can learn that the Late H. H. Pope John Paul II emphatically clarified the concept of a Dialogue. He observed that the dialogue should never be an attempt to impose our own views upon others, since such dialogue would become a form of spiritual and cultural dominations. According to the Late H. H. Pope John Paul II, a true dialogue means that we listen respectfully to others, seeking to discern all that is good and holy, all that favours peace and cooperation. From the paper read by Fr. S. M. Michael, we come to know that according to the Late H. H. Pope John Paul II, dialogue between members of different religions increases and deepens mutual respect and paves the way for relationships that are crucial in solving the problems of human suffering, and dialogue that is respectual and open to opinions of others can promote union and commitment to this noble cause. In the paper presented by Prof. Shubhada Joshi it was mentioned that the journey of a dialogue may begin with tolerance, and may be co-existence, living together, facing life within a culture, and it may be windowless. From her paper we can learn that at the 1984 plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for inter-religious dialogue, the Pope had declared that an inter-religious dialogue is fundamental to the Church, which is called to collaborate in God's plan with her methods of presence, respect and love towards all persons. From the paper read by Fr. Stephen Fernandes we come know the Late H. H. Pope John Paul II in order to build a society worthy of man, Pope John Paul II accentuated the need for openness and dialogue, as well as the cooperation of all people of goodwill, especially individuals and groups involved in politics, economics and social life, at both the national and international levels. In Ut Unum Sint, he refers to dialogue as the privileged instrument for bringing about ecumenical renewal and unity. All the speakers were duly felicitated by the dignitaries present on the stage. From 3.15 to 3.30 p.m. there was a tea break. The concluding session was from 3.30 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. During this session, the different participants from both the sides expressed their opinions on the seminar held. There was a very healthy exchange of mind from both the sides. Prof Alberto Trevisiol gave a very moving and lyrical speech. His speech certainly resembled mellifluous poetry. After his speech Prof. Alberto Trevisiol and Fr. Benedict Kanakppally were felicitated by Dr. S. K. Somaiya. The session concluded with the prayer Pasayadana written by the famous saint Jnaneshwar.
The symposium on the contribution of the Late H. H. Pope John Paul II ended on a very happy note leaving behind memories which are surely to be cherished by all the participants for a long time. The seminar remained not only a pedantic discussion at a very prosaic level, but proved to be a rather lively interaction and exchange of ideas between all the delegates present from both the sides in the seminar hall as well as in the dining hall over lunch. Let is hope that there will be many more such symposia between the two sides in future.