Dialogue needed to counter growing suspicion towards religion

Feb 14, 2025

ABU DHABI: Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle stressed the need for dialogue and fraternity to counter growing suspicion towards religion in an increasingly secular world.

Speaking at the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity ceremony in Abu Dhabi, he emphasised that “the only antidote to this is encounter and dialogue marked by friendship and respect between persons of different religious traditions.”

The Zayed Award was established in 2019 following the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together by Pope Francis and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb.

Representing the Holy See six years later, Cardinal Tagle reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to fostering interfaith friendships, highlighting their importance in an interconnected world.

“Since, on the one hand, in a certain sense the world has become ‘smaller’ than ever before, and, on the other, because the phenomenon of migration has increased contact between persons and communities from various traditions, cultures, and religions,” he told attendees at the Abrahamic Family House, a landmark structure inspired by the 2019 document.
He highlighted the challenges of coexistence in many parts of the world, where political and economic interests manipulate cultural and religious differences, exacerbating past conflicts and fostering an atmosphere of distrust and fear.

He called for dialogue as a crucial tool for unity, adding: “Indeed, whenever we take that route, the path outlined by the Document on Human Fraternity, we become ever more authentically human.”

In societies where religion is often dismissed, Cardinal Tagle warned against excluding faith from public life: “Religion is looked upon as something useless or even dangerous, and it is frequently thought that coexistence is only possible if people relegate their own religious affiliation to the purely private sphere or meet in ‘neutral’ spaces, devoid of any reference to the transcendent.”

He stressed the importance of respecting all beliefs while remaining true to one’s own convictions: “It is impossible to think of fraternity as being ‘born in a laboratory.’

Naturally, it is necessary that everyone respect the sincere convictions of others, including unbelievers, but we must have the courage and patience to do so by holding true to who we are and what we believe.”

In his conclusion, he emphasised that upholding and affirming religious freedom in all its aspects is crucial for fostering global peace and harmonious coexistence. --LiCAS News