ROME – The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue has issued a message in which it wishes Hindus a happy feast of Deepavali, which represents the victory of “light over darkness.”
The Vatican “extends its warmest greetings to you on Deepavali, which will take place on November 4 this year,” the message addressed to church “Hindu friends”.
“May the celebration of this holiday, even in the midst of the anxiety and uncertainty arising from the current pandemic and its aftermath of global crises, enlighten your lives, homes and communities with the hope of a better future!” the message states.
In its message, the Vatican suggests thinking about how Christians and Hindus can “bring the light of hope into people’s lives together in such difficult times.”
The Vatican message was sent the day before income Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday. Human rights groups have insisted that Christians have suffered from increasing violence and persecution since Modi rose to power in 2014.
In its message to Hindus, the Vatican warns of the widespread “feeling of resignation, despair and discouragement” caused by factors “from terrorism to ecological degradation.”
A vendor carries a bunch of roses at a flower market in front of Diwali, a Hindu festival of lights, in New Delhi on October 31, 2021. (MONEY SHARMA / AFP via Getty Images)
After the coronavirus pandemic, “it is in our ability to show that we can be‘ together ’and overcome every crisis with determination and love, even what is seemingly insurmountable,” the message reads.
“The power of solidarity unleashed in alleviating suffering and helping the needy, even more so with interfaith character and responsibility, gives visibility to the light of hope by proving the response to which adherents of all religious traditions are called at times. despair and darkness, ”he argues.
Among the burning global issues that threaten to disrupt the harmonious coexistence of people, the Vatican cites “climate change, religious fundamentalism, terrorism, hypernationalism, xenophobia,” some of which could strike the nerves of the current Indian administration.
Religious traditions have the ability to help individuals and communities “reset” their life compass with hope, the Vatican said in a statement, with their gaze fixed beyond current despair.
“As believers based on our own religious traditions and as people with a common vision and shared responsibility to humanity, especially suffering humanity, Christians and Hindus should come together individually and together with people of other religious traditions and goodwill to reach people who are in despair to bring light into their lives! ”the message concludes.