Thursday, November 10, 2011

Letter from the Vatican to mark the Gurpurb


Happy Gurpurb to everyone. Today I received an email from a Catholic colleague who I have worked with in local inter-faith events. He forwarded me a letter from the Catholic church congratulating Sikhs on the Gurpurb of Guru Nanak Dev jee. Here is the letter:





PONT1FICIUM CONSILIUM
PRO
DIALOGO INTER RELIGIONES
N. 1262/11

Dear Sikh Friends,

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue most cordially greets you all as you commemorate the Birth Anniversary of Siri Guru Nanak Sahib on 10th November this year. May the celebration of this feast be an occasion to enhance harmony, happiness and unity within your families and communities.

Festive events such as this offer the opportunity to believers to expand the horizons of our relatedness with the larger human family by furthering our reach out and seeking to work together ever more earnestly for the welfare of the society, most especially towards building a harmonious society.

A harmonious society, as largely desired across the globe, is a people oriented society wherein persons are truly respected in their transcendent, innate human dignity and whose common aspirations for freedom, serenity, security and equal opportunity for development are governed by a morally sound set of values that animates the life of the individuals and of the entire society. On the contrary, moral relativism, which undermines human being in his/her objective dignity, will only render the aspiration for a harmonious society an evanescent dream. Pope Benedict XVI spoke of it in unequivocal words saying, "the illusion that moral relativism provides the way for peaceful coexistence is ...the origin of divisions and the denial of the dignity of the human beings"(Message for the World Day of Peace, 2011).

We believers, more than others, because of our openness to God, are called upon to reject whatever is contrary to the dignity of the human persons and to make coordinated and sustained efforts to protect the legitimate interests of everyone in society. On us, therefore, falls the responsibility to render the human yearning for a harmonious society a reality. Our shared values such as fraternity, honesty, justice and unity are powerful tools for building a better world.

Wishing you a Happy Prakash Divas of Siri Guru Nanak Sahib!


Jean-Louis Cardinal TAURAN President


Archbishop Pier Luigi CELATA Secretary

Ufficio / Office: 00193 Roma - Via della Conciliazione, 5 - Tel. +39.06.698.84.321 - Fax +39.06.698.84.494 - E-mail: dialogo@interrel.va Indirizzo Postale / Adresse Postale / Postal Address: 00120 Citta del Vaticano

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