"Native Americans with feathered headdresses and peace pipes, Orthodox patriarchs,Buddhist monks, Muslim Imams, Jewish rabbis, Hindu priests, and a multitude of others in various garb moved in procession and prayed. They did not say the same prayer, however. According to their respective traditions they turned toward whomever or whatever they considered to be Ultimate, praying that the world would stop violence, ravaging, disharmony, and war and enjoy the gift of peace."
How do we interpret this "festival of tongues"? Many of the participants experienced that "the mystery of the living God transcends the religious ways and unites them at some profound level for the common good." This interpretation is the one held by Pope John Paul II. Some people criticized him for organizing this interfaith prayer service. He responded to the Roman Curia, as Johnson describes:
"Noting that all the participants at Assisi had prayed for peace in accord with their own religious identities, the pope continued that nevertheless the gathering had been a 'wonderful manifestation of the unity which binds us together beyond the differences and divisions which are known to all.' The reason for this is radically theological: the presence of God. 'We can indeed maintain that every authentic prayer is called forth by the Holy Spirit, who is mysteriously present in the heart of every person.'"
Pope John Paul II, in proclaiming that "every authentic prayer is called forth by the Holy Spirit," guides us to a profound interpretation of God's relationship with the various religions of the world, and leads us to a new openness to others we know who are members of different faith communities.
But first, Christians need to know about Christianity. For Christians, the truths of the Creed relating to the Blessed Trinity, the truth of Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity becoming a human being, like us in every way but sin, of his dying for the redemption of all human beings, and being raised from the dead to give us the gift of resurrected, eternal life, - all these truths are considered Universal Truth, truths about God's relationship with us that are unique among all world religions. No other religion teaches the Good News about a Crucified and Resurrected God!
The document "Dominus Iesus" states "Most centrally, Christians need to maintain the salvific role of Jesus Christ, which is 'unique and singular, proper to him alone, exclusive, universal, and absolute' (par. 15.)
The Catholic Church has struggled with these three questions for centuries:
1) Can individual persons who are not Christian be saved? 2) If yes, are they saved through the practice of their religion or despite it? 3) If through their religions, then do these religions enjoy a positive meaning in God's one plan of salvation for the whole human race?
The documents of Vatican II addressed the first question. The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church teaches:
"Those also can attain to everlasting salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, strive by their deeds to know His will as it is known to them by the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the help necessary for salvation to those who without blame on their part have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God, but who strive to live a good life, thanks to His grace." ("Lumen Gentium," 16.)
The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World" describes the mystery of salvation for Christians, and then adds "All this holds true not only for Christians, but for all persons of good will in whose hearts grace works in an unseen way. For since Christ died for all people, and since the ultimate vocation of the human race is in fact, one and divine, we ought to believe that the Holy Spirit in a manner known only to God offers to every person the possibility of being associated with this paschal Mystery." ("Gaudium et Spes," 22.)
What role then do the non-Christian religions play in the salvation of individuals? Are they positive paths, or outright obstacles? The Vatican Council II Decree on Non-Christian Religions, notes the "profound religious sense" of people of Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Jewish faith and appreciates the role of their teachings, rules of life, and sacred ceremonies, and declares:
"The Catholic Church rejects nothing which is true and holy in these religions. She looks with sincere respect upon those ways of conduct and life, those rules and teachings which, though differing in many particulars from what she holds and sets forth, nevertheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all people." ("Nostra Aetate" 2.) The document then exhorts members of the faithful to prudently and lovingly engage in dialogue and collaboration with members of other faiths, engaging in humble witness of
Christian faith and life, and promoting the spiritual and moral goods found among them.
Pope John Paul II built on these documents in his own encyclical, "Redemptoris Missio," and says "God does not fail to make himself present in many ways, not only to individuals, but also to entire peoples through their spiritual riches, of which their religions are their main and essential expression."
So, we can say "yes" to the second question: thanks to the Presence of God's own Spirit, people are saved through the practice of their religion, not despite it.
"Dominus Iesus" sounds a cautionary note. While the grace in all sacred books comes from Christ, and some of the non-Christian sacred texts are "instruments by which countless people throughout the centuries have been and still are able today to nourish and maintain their life relationship with God," the document still makes a negative judgement: "objectively speaking they are in a gravely deficient situation." In other words, they cannot be full revelation because they exist apart from complete divine revelation about the salvific work of Jesus Christ.
Yet those who are engaged in the work of inter-religious dialogue continue to find value in the sacred texts of non-Christian religions and in dialogue about them. Knowing the super-abundant and transcendent Mystery of Who God is, they welcome any insights that the different perspectives of other faiths afford them. They are open to the possibility "that others might have distinct encounters with the Divine that can be new resources for Christian exploration into the overabundance of God." (Johnson)
The Asian Catholic Bishops, living in countries where Catholics and other Christians are a tiny minority, have participated in much inter-religious dialogue and have observed first-hand the holiness of many non-Christians. "The Catholic Asian Bishops expressed appreciation for the fruits of the Spirit evident in the people who follow these paths: a sense of the sacred, a thirst for wholeness, an openness to renunciation, compassion over suffering, an urge to goodness, a commitment to service, a total surrender of the self, and an attachment to the transcendent in their symbols and rituals." (Johnson)
Most of the religions of the world are now practiced in the United States, and their followers not only build houses of prayer, but they celebrate annual festivals, and engage in charitable, educational, and cultural activities. How can we be faithful to our own beliefs, while simultaneously making space for the undoubted difference of others? One vital answer is speaking with each other "with critical respect and affection, learning the different religious wisdom of others and sharing that of (our) own tradition. The encounter inevitably circles people back to their own faith with desire to account for what they have discovered."
Once we can discover and respect the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of others who are not Christians, once we can see for ourselves that these others derive inspiration from their faiths and strength for lives of goodness, we can marvel anew at the immense loving Heart of God and at God's Saving Activity in the world. Our horizons are widened. We can see "the generosity of the living God who has left no people abandoned but has bestowed divine love on every culture." (Johnson)