Let's strive for peace, says Vatican official

MUMBAI: Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who heads the Vatican's commission on inter-religious dialogue, appealed to leaders of all faiths to come together and "contribute towards peace and harmony in the country".
Addressing Muslim and Christian leaders on the eve of Bakri Eid, at the archbishop's house in Colaba, Cardinal
Tauran said, "We are meeting as friends because we are both believers who can contribute towards society.However, life is becoming insecure in the globalized world."
Pointing out to the problems faced by countries across the globe, he added, "Labourers are losing their voice, national governments are facing difficulties and there is corporate insecurity which leads to ethnic strife, religious and sectarian violence. We can solve these problems, if we are true to our spiritual identity, don't regard the other as an enemy and take concrete steps to strengthen what unites us."
Muslim leaders said that the community was being targeted in India and at the international level. They highlighted the manner in which the Prophet was depicted in cartoons in the Western media and how some countries had imposed a ban on the veil. They wanted Christian leaders to speak out against the affront.
MLA Abu Azmi said Christian schools in the city should offer scholarships to talented underprivileged Muslim students. Cardinal Tauran's visit is part of a larger inter-religious dialogue with Hindus,Muslims,Sikhs,Jains and Buddhists.
Later in the evening, Tauran met Hindu leaders in Pune with Vatican officials-archbishop Pier Luigi Celata and Father Santiago Michael of the pontifical council for inter-religious dialogue. Mumbai archbishop Cardinal Oswald Gracias and Pune archbishop Thomas Dabre are coordinating his meetings in various cities.