Not a clash of civilizations, but the birth of a new world

In front of an increasingly multicultural, multiethnic and multifaith society, fear, distrust and intolerance remain, especially because of the constant threat of terrorism.
A person who found himself in a situation in some ways similar to ours was Augustine of Hippo, a great saint and doctor of the Church. Faced with the fall of the Roman Empire because of the effect of the migration of peoples from the north and east, he had the grace and foresight to help Christians understand that the upheavals in their civilisation which his contemporaries witnessed was not the end of their world, but the birth of a new world.
His was a vision that came from faith and from the conviction that God is not absent from history. In fact,, God’s love is such that it directs everything towards good. St. Paul himself said this: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God” (Rm 8:28). And now - it seems to me - this same faith must sustain and guide us in our present-day situation.

Dialogue among religions – the way to prevent terrorism. But how do we go about it?

Yes, dialogue. It’s a very modern word. Dialogue … especially among the faithful of different religions, is more than ever necessary and indispensable today if we want to avert the great evils threatening our societies.
It has been written: "To know the other person’s religion means to put yourself in the shoes of the other, seeing the world as he or she sees it, grasping what it means for the other to be Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu…" This isn’t easy. It demands complete emptiness of self, that we put aside the ideas in our mind, the affections in our heart, all that is our own will so as to identify with the other person.
It’s a matter of putting aside for the moment even what’s most important and most precious to us: our own faith, our own convictions, in order to be “nothing” in front of the other person, a “nothingness of love”. In this way we put ourselves in an attitude of learning and there’s always something to learn from everyone.
If we are motivated by this kind of love, the other person will be able to express him or herself because they find in us someone who accepts them. They can give themselves because they find in us someone who listens. We come then to know their faith, their culture, their terminology. We enter their world, we become inculturated in some way in it and we are enriched. Having this attitude we contribute to making our multicultural societies become intercultural - that is, composed of cultures that are open to one another and in a profound dialogue of love with each another.
Our complete openness and acceptance then predisposes the other person to listen to us. We’ve seen, in fact, that when someone dies to him or herself in order to “make themselves one” with others, the others are struck by this and often ask for an explanation.
Then we can move on to what the Pope calls “proclaiming with respect”. “Respect” is the key word in every dialogue. So as to be true to God and to ourselves, and to be sincere with our neighbour, we share what our faith affirms without imposing anything on the other person, without any trace of proselytism, but only out of love.
However, through the Holy Spirit who’s always present whenever we love, while we’re speaking our brothers or sisters notice something spiritual in them coming alive, re-awakening in their hearts: the “seeds of the Word” that the Second Vatican Council spoke of, which the love of God has placed in every religion. Alternatively, while we are speaking, our brothers or sisters are able to identify some aspect of the purely human values which the Lord, in creating us, has planted in every person and in every culture.
And it’s on the basis of these “seeds” or values that – always serving – and with gentleness and boundless discretion we can offer the aspects of the truth we bear within us which can give greater fullness and completeness to what our neighbour already believes. First he or she gave to us; now we do the same. And in an atmosphere of communion brought about by this exchange of gifts, the truth is gradually revealed and we feel that it has made us brothers and sisters.
We have had a great many experiences of this fruitful dialogue with people of many cultures and also with large groups of followers of other religions. (...)

A strategy of fraternity is needed to heal the gap between rich and poor and effect a turning point in international relations

In fact, real, true and heartfelt fraternity is the fruit of a love capable of becoming dialogue, relationship, a love which, far from arrogantly closing itself within its own confines, knows how to open up to others and work together with all people of good will in order to build unity and peace in the world. Yes, peace.
But can religions, as a whole, be partners on the journey to peace?
We all know how extremely important and urgent this question is today.
Many interpret the spreading of terrorism, the wars waged in various parts of the world in response to this, the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, as symptoms of a “clash of civilisations”. They say that it’s characterised by and even aggravated by different religious allegiances.
However, upon a closer examination of the facts, this way of seeing things, caused by the various types of extremism and fanaticism which distort religions, proves to be very narrow. Never so much as in our modern world have believers and leaders of all religions felt the duty to work together for the common good of humanity.
On September 11, 2001 humankind discovered with dismay the nature of the great, enormous threat posed by terrorism. We know that the causes of terrorism are many, but one of them, the deepest, is the unbearable suffering of the growing gap between the rich and the poor. This has generated and continues to generate smouldering resentment in people, violence, revenge. More equality is needed, more solidarity, above all a fairer sharing of goods. However, as we know, goods do not move by themselves, they cannot walk on their own. People’s hearts must be touched, the sharing must come from our hearts.
To this end we need to spread among as many as possible the idea and practice of fraternity, and – given the enormity of the problem – a universal fraternity. Brothers and sisters know how to look after one another, they know how to help one another, how to share what they have.

To meet this unprecedented challenge, the contribution of religions is decisive. Where else, if not in the great religious traditions, could a strategy of fraternity begin, a strategy that could bring about real change even in international relations?

The enormous spiritual and moral resources of religions, with the contribution of ideals, aspirations to justice, of commitment to those most in need, together with the political leverage of millions of believers, if they were channelled into the field of human relations, could certainly be translated into actions of the kind that could positively influence the international order.
Much is being done internationally by non-governmental organisations. What’s missing is that States commit themselves to those political and economic choices which can build a worldwide community of peoples working to bring about justice.
Given that we are faced with a strategy of death and hatred, the only valid response is to build peace in justice. But there’s no peace without fraternity. Only fraternity among individuals and peoples can guarantee a future where there is peaceful coexistence.
In spite of all the destruction, even out of the wreckage of terrorism can emerge the one great, age-old truth so dear to us all: that all of us on earth are one great family. And the one who showed this truth and brought it on earth as an essential gift to humanity was Jesus, who prayed for unity before he died: “Father, may they all be one” (John 17:21).