There is need to enter into dialogue with everyone, regardless of
religious faith, and without sacrificing one's own identity or indulging
in syncretism, a statement from the Vatican press office affirmed in
regard to Benedict XVI's upcoming pilgrimage to Assisi.
A
statement Saturday from the press office addressed plans for the Oct. 27
day of reflection, dialogue and prayer for peace and justice in the
world, to be held in Assisi.
The day, with the theme "Pilgrims
of truth, pilgrims of peace," marks the 25th anniversary of the event
held there in 1986 under the leadership of Pope John Paul II.
The Polish
Pontiff invited representatives of the world religions for a Day of
Prayer for Peace.
"Every human being is ultimately a pilgrim in
search of truth and goodness," the Vatican communiqué noted, in
explaining the event.
"Believers too are constantly journeying towards
God: hence the possibility, indeed the necessity, of speaking and
entering into dialogue with everyone, believers and unbelievers alike,
without sacrificing one’s own identity or indulging in forms of
syncretism.
"To the extent that the pilgrimage of truth is
authentically lived, it opens the path to dialogue with the other, it
excludes no one and it commits everyone to be a builder of fraternity
and peace. These are the elements that the Holy Father wishes to place
at the center of reflection."
The Vatican noted that personages
from the world of culture and science will be invited, as well as the
representatives of Christian communities and of the principal religious
traditions.
A path
The communiqué asserted that the "image of pilgrimage therefore sums up the meaning of the event."
It
announced that there will be "an opportunity to look back over the path
already travelled from that first meeting in Assisi to the following
one in January 2002, and also to look ahead to the future, with a view
to continuing, in company with all men and women of good will, to walk
along the path of dialogue and fraternity, in the context of a world in
rapid transformation."
The communiqué gave some specific
details, including that the delegation accompanying the Holy Father will
leave Rome by train on the morning of Oct. 27. T
he Pontiff will give an
address at the event. And there will be a "simple lunch, shared by the
delegates: a meal under the banner of sobriety, intended to express
fraternal conviviality, and at the same time solidarity in the suffering
of so many men and women who do not know peace."
The pilgrimage
"is intended to symbolize the journey of every human being who
assiduously seeks the truth and actively builds justice and peace," the
Vatican note added. "It will take place in silence, leaving room for
personal meditation and prayer."
The statement also announced
that Benedict XVI will lead a prayer vigil the evening before at St.
Peter's.
The Vatican invited particular Churches to do the same, and it
announced that the presidents of the Pontifical Councils for the
Promotion of Christian Unity and of Interreligious Dialogue and the
Pontifical Council for Culture will be sending a message in the coming
weeks.
"The Pope asks the Catholic faithful to join him in
praying for the celebration of this important event," the statement
concluded, "and he is grateful to all those who will be able to be
present in St. Francis’ hometown to share this spiritual pilgrimage."