Catholic Church Cross

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) welcomed the appointment of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the papacy, following the sudden and unprecedented resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Foundation leaders expressed hope that the Catholic Church, under Pope Francis I, as he will be called, will respect and privilege pluralism and interfaith relations, based on earlier efforts with Nostra Aetete, the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions.

“As our Catholic friends, neighbors and colleagues celebrate the naming of their pontiff, we, as Hindu Americans, congratulate the Catholic Church and welcome Pope Francis I,” said Pawan Deshpande, a member of the HAF Executive Council. “As a pluralistic faith, Hindus respect the papacy for its importance to Catholics, and hope that the Church now begins a new era of mutually respecting Dharma religions and other pluralist traditions as divinely inspired paths as well.”

The Declaration of Nostra Aetete, signed in 1965, was the first papal document to state, in reference to Hindu and Buddhist beliefs:

“The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is holy and true in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men.”

Many Hindus consider the tenure of Pope Benedict–marked by few visits from spiritual leaders including Radhika Ramana Dasa–as one of lost opportunities for dialogue with Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains, and marred by controversy fueled by Pope Benedict’s own public remarks and actions. In a seeming departure from the Nostra Aetete spirit, in 2006, Benedict XVI sparked an uproar in the Muslim community when he stated that Prophet Muhammad’s teachings are “evil and inhuman.” In 2007, while visiting Brazil, he claimed that indigenous pre-colonial South American populations had all along been “silently longing” for Christianity. He also widely promoted the use of the Tridentine Mass in Good Friday prayers which explicitly calls for the conversion of Jews to Christianity. In 1997, prior to his papacy and as Cardinal Ratzinger, he denigrated Hinduism as a religion of “false hope” that guaranteed salvation based on a “morally cruel” concept of reincarnation resembling a “continuous circle of hell,” and Buddhism as “autoerotic spirituality.”

“Under Pope Benedict’s watch, the church did not privilege interfaith relations and pluralism with our community,” said Pawan Deshpande, HAF Executive Council member. “We sincerely hope that the Pope Francis I will take significant, meaningful, and lasting measures to create a more harmonious world.”

Hindu Americans have long insisted that predatory proselytization campaigns where education, medical care, humanitarian aid, employment or other allurements are predicated on conversion to Christianity, vitiate the sensitivities of communities and spark conflicts. In the past few years, aggressive campaigns fueled conflict which led to violence, in some cases. However, signs of hope were seen from the broader Christian community when, for example, the Los Angeles based Episcopal Bishop, Jon Bruno, condemned and apologized for a history of predatory proselytization.

“As Hindus, it’s difficult to have meaningful interfaith dialogue when the Church is openly advocating for the demise of our faith,” said Padma Kuppa, HAF Executive Council member. “The appointment of Pope Francis I offers a great opportunity for the Church to build meaningful and substantive relations with a billion Hindus globally, repudiate its history of predatory proselytization, and foster a new relationship based on mutual respect, tolerance, and pluralism.”

Pope Benedict

Malta (CHAKRA) – The Holy See website just published the program of Pope Benedict’s “Apostolic Journey to Malta”, for April 17-18, which has left minority, non-catholic religious leaders disappointed because of no mention of any interfaith dialogue.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman, Rajan Zed and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich—a prominent Jewish leader in California and Nevada in the US, said in a statement in Nevada Today that it seems as though the Catholic Church of Malta is not serious about sharing the minority religious viewpoint.  The statement further explained that it is sad to see that the Catholic Church of Malta does not want to discuss the issues of religious equality with minority religions/denominations.  The Malta Archbishop had been requested earlier, to organize the meeting of leaders of various religions and denominations with His Holiness Pope Benedict, during the visit.

Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Freirich both argued that since the Catholics held a majority in Malta, it was the Popes moral responsibility to take into consideration the minority views from different faiths/denominations and backgrounds.  Aside from the Catholic majority, Malta consists of minority communities of Protestants, Orthodox, other Christian denominations, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Baha’is, Wiccans/Neo-Pagans, and people with “no religion”.

The Pope’s published program of this “Apostolic Journey to Malta on the occasion of the 1950th Anniversary of St. Paul’s Shipwreck on the Island” will be broadcasted live from Vatican CTV.  A welcoming ceremony at Luqa Airport will commence the program, followed by visits to the following people and places by the Pope: The President at Valletta Palace, Saint Paul’s Cave in Rabat, Holy Mass at Floriana Granaries, Regina Caeli, a luncheon with Malta Bishops and Papal Entourage at the Rabat Apostolic Nunciature.  The Pope will also meet young people at Great Port of Valletta which includes five addresses and one homily.  The Pope will pass by 40 parishes during his visit, according to the Archdiocese of Malta website.

Jonathan Frierich and Rajan Zed urged Malta to treat all religion and denominations equally in front of the law.  According to the Malta Criminal Code, one is liable to imprisonment for up to six months for publically belittling “Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion”, while a deprecation of “any cult tolerated by law” makes one liable for imprisonment for only up to three months.

Furthermore, Zed and Frierich said that under the subject of “religion”, Malta should allow a “comparative religion” class in its public primary and secondary schools, in which the basic teachings of all world religions including the beliefs of non-believers are taught.  According to the Constitution of Malta (Chapter I, Article 2, Item 3): “Religious teaching of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Faith shall be provided in all State schools as part of compulsory education.”

This will be the Popes third visit to the island of Malta, who was invited by President George Abela and Archbishop Monsignor Paul Cremona.  A DVD and official book will be released along with two silver coins to commemorate the Pope’s visit.

Maltese islands were first settled in 5,200 BCE.  There are hardly any other European countries that have such concentrated architecture, beaches and history in so small of an area.