Unity in Diversity

By Michael Zanzucci

Two interfaith conferences point to religion as a unifying element

Evening newscasts show a world torn by conflicts: the war in Iraq, suicide bombings in Israel, Muslim and Hindu tensions in India, guerilla warfare in the Philippine south. It would be simple to think that conflicts ignite wherever religions cross paths. Yet we in the media enlarge some details and hide others, often only portraying negative forces that seem to dominate the globe. We highlight the bloodshed while neglecting the fact that diverse peoples have achieved a peaceful coexistence in many regions for centuries.

There are many voices denouncing the atrocities and calling for a more just world that spotlights the positive forces at work and universal brotherhood. A number of organizations form this current including movements within the different churches and national and local organizations that strive for humanity’s betterment. The Focolare Movement has been promoting interfaith relations for the last 40 years, encouraging a “dialogue of life” that goes hand in hand with the scholarly pursuit of mutual understanding.

In April two interreligious symposia took place at the Focolare’s international conference center at Castelgandolfo, near Rome. Participants at the first were Christians and Hindus; those at the second were Christians and Buddhists. With a Christian-Jewish symposium and another for Christians and Muslims scheduled for early next year, we spoke with Dr. Giuseppe M. Zanghi, who codirects the Focolare’s center for interreligious dialogue.

Can you speak about the social context surrounding these events?

I think these are meetings where people can contemplate the splendor of Truth. They offer a response to one of the deepest needs of our times. Communications in our modern era are directed at entire populations rather than select groups, and the media is attempting to break through the walls of isolation that have existed in our cultures for centuries. In this we run the risk, not just hypothetically, of mutual incomprehension, of each of us not being able to break out of our shell and to respect diversity. We also run the terrible risk—which unfortunately is very real—of fatal clashes of civilizations, where religion, which should be a meeting point between finite creatures and God, becomes instead a cause for killing and, ultimately, a negation of God.

What do these symposia hope to accomplish?

These days, a dialogue among the great cultures, especially those based on religious roots that were founded on a common belief in the Absolute Being, is imperative. It forces us to face one another on a level which at times provokes fear, although it can also open us up to greater hopes and spark new joy in our hearts. Each one of the participants at these symposia brings a rich and complex tradition that finds its origins in God, and God wants to be revealed to those he created and to be loved by them. The Focolare charism of unity, based on Jesus’ priestly prayer, “May they all be one” (Jn 17:21), provides a privileged meeting space. At the same time it is a guiding light, a warmth that melts all inflexibility, and a celebration of communion.

What sort of methodology do you use?

These are not like “classical” symposia, where diverse visions of religion and of the world are at times in conflict or confused. Differences between faith traditions certainly do emerge, although they are inserted in a particular context. The premise that supports everything here is that each participant must be a reflection of the countenance of God, who tenderly seeks us out by loving us and who loves us by enlightening us. This is possible only if everyone strives for one thing: to allow the Absolute Being—love with a capital “L”—to live within by emptying ourselves, becoming that nothingness that overflows with the fullness of God. Being able to listen to each other fully is, therefore, fundamentally important, and we try to welcome each other as we would welcome God. In this way, I can truly empty myself, because out of love I give myself completely to another person in whom God is present.

What about results?

The outcome cannot be measured in the present, but over time. We can already say, however, that the joy produced from being together is tangible, as is the mutual intellectual enrichment. These symposia contribute to creating what I would call an “atmosphere of dialogue” that is necessary in order to draw culturally and religiously different worlds together. We love each other, with this love we respect each other and, as much as possible, we understand each other.