Interreligious Dialogue | Spiritans

Interreligious Dialogue

“We engage in dialogue and collaborate loyally with the leaders and believers of other religions, as well as with those who do not believe in God; and we trust in the Holy Spirit who leads us all towards the whole truth”

(cf. Jn 16:13). (SRL 16.3)

Interreligious dialogue is an integral dimension of the Spiritan mission in today’s world. The situations encountered by confreres vary greatly depending on the contexts in which they live: communities shaped by traditional, locally rooted religions; environments that are predominantly or partially Islamic; Spiritan presences in Asia within cultures influenced by Hinduism, Confucianism, or Buddhism; and secularized Western societies where interfaith dialogue remains essential. Many confreres also experience the dynamic of living “at home” or being welcomed — and at times merely tolerated — in the home of the other. Today it is difficult to find a circumscription or mission that is not touched by the challenge of interreligious dialogue, whether within the Christian communities we serve or in the broader social context in which they live.

The Spiritan commitment to interreligious dialogue is deeply rooted in the history of the Congregation and has developed significantly since the Second Vatican Council. This dimension is expressed in various ways in the Spiritan Rule of Life, particularly in the following articles:

“We take as our own the points that the Church is currently stressing in mission: (…) including mission as dialogue;. (SRL 13.1)

We try in dialogue to cooperate honestly with the leaders and the faithful of other religions as well as with those who do not believe in God. We put our trust in the Holy Spirit, leading both us and them “to the complete truth” (cf. Jn 16:13). (SRL 16.3).

“We engage in dialogue and collaborate loyally with the leaders and believers of other religions, as well as with those who do not believe in God; and we trust in the Holy Spirit who leads us all towards the whole truth” (cf. Jn 16:13). (SRL 16.3)

“In certain circumstances it is not possible for us to preach the gospel by word. In such cases our motivation is the conviction that the Holy Spirit is already present and that our presence is witness and service in the name of the gospel for the Kingdom” (Ad Gentes, 6). (SRL 15.3).

Marc Botzung 600x600

Fr Marc Botzung, CSSp

Coordinator
Spiritan Interreligious dialogue

Short news & Documents

#Interreligious dialogue

Address of Pope Leo XIV to a delegation of leaders and representatives of the Muslim community of Senegal

Address of Pope Leo XIV to a delegation of leaders and representatives of the Muslim community of Senegal

Your Excellencies, Dear brothers and sisters, Peace be with you! I am delighted to welcome you, who represent the Muslim...

Une Annonciation sous le sceau de la fraternité

Une Annonciation sous le sceau de la fraternité

Le Sénégal est une terre de dialogue et sa diversité converge vers une universalité de la fraternité. Dans un contexte...

Pope Francis' Address to Al Hadji Thierno Amadou Ba, General Khalif in Senegal

Pope Francis' Address to Al Hadji Thierno Amadou Ba, General Khalif in Senegal

GREETING OF THE HOLY FATHER to the Delegation of Representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood of Senegal (22 February 2025)

Le Dialogue Interreligieux - Île Maurice

Le Dialogue Interreligieux - Île Maurice

Depuis plus de cinquante ans, le dialogue interreligieux est une préoccupation dans l'église de Maurice, aboutissant à la création du...

For the first time in Charleroi - Belgium, on the initiative of the Spiritans, six Religious Communities pray together in the same place for world peace

Six Religious Communities pray together for world peace

For the first time in Charleroi – Belgium, on the initiative of the Spiritans, six Religious Communities pray together in the same place for world peace

Visit from the Senegalese Muslim Leader to the Generalate El Hadji Thierno Amadou Bâ, Khalif General of Bambilor in Senegal

Visit from the Senegalese Muslim Leader to the Generalate El Hadji Thierno Amadou Bâ, Khalif General of Bambilor in Senegal

On Monday, 24th February 2025, the Generalate community received a visit from El Hadji Thierno Amadou Bâ (in the picture: front, in blue), the Khalif General of Bambilor and representative of the religious families of Senegal. Accompanying him were four distinguished individuals who had been residing at the Generalate since 21st February, upon the request…

On 16th April 2022, Dieudonné Cardinal Nzapalainga, Spiritan, was invited by the National Episcopal Conference of Congo to an international colloquium marking the 65th anniversary of the Catholic University of Congo (UCC), in which he received the Golden Medal of Honour.

Dieudonné Cardinal Nzapalainga, Spiritan, receives the Honour of Golden Medal from Catholic University of Congo

On 16th April 2022, Dieudonné Cardinal Nzapalainga, Spiritan, was invited by the National Episcopal Conference of Congo to an international colloquium marking the 65th anniversary of the Catholic University of Congo (UCC), in which he received the Golden Medal of Honour.

Of note at this forum is the youthfulness of most of the participants with a good representation from sub-Saharan Africa, many of whom are recent arrivals at their places of mission. This highlights the importance the Congregation attaches to interreligious dialogue: it continues to find within itself the personnel that will enable it to be consistent with its missionary priorities.

Spiritan Forum on Interreligious Dialogue – Final Message

Of note at this forum is the youthfulness of most of the participants with a good representation from sub-Saharan Africa, many of whom are recent arrivals at their places of mission. This highlights the importance the Congregation attaches to interreligious dialogue: it continues to find within itself the personnel that will enable it to be consistent with its missionary priorities.

The General Council in collaboration with the Spiritan Conference of circumscriptions of Africa and the Islands (SCCAI) are hosting a Spiritan Inter-religious forum (IRD) in Zanzibar, Tanzania - 3 to 9 December 2018.

Spiritan Forum on Inter-religious Dialogue

The General Council in collaboration with the Spiritan Conference of circumscriptions of Africa and the Islands (SCCAI) are hosting a Spiritan Inter-religious forum (IRD) in Zanzibar, Tanzania – 3 to 9 December 2018.