The Vatican Cardinal who heads up the dicastery responsible for relations with other religions, has written to the world’s Sikh communities to promote interreligious solidarity ahead of Guru Nanak Prakash Diwas.
Sikhs celebrate the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder and first Guru of Sikhism, on Tuesday, 8 November 2022.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in Tanwandi in the Punjab region in 1469. Guru Nanak celebrations take place on the Pooranmashi, or full moon day, in the Lunar month of Katak. It falls on a different day each year in October/November.
Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot’s message calls on Christians and Sikhs to promote interreligious solidarity for the common good:
“[This] must earnestly begin from families – the first and fundamental schools of social living – where members, led by the example of grandparents, parents and elders, learn values that build solidarity for the good of all in the family, despite conceivable differences among them.
“Education and formation are key areas whereby students can be taught to imbibe the spirit of solidarity and of ‘unity in diversity’, by inspiring and encouraging them, to do gestures and acts of solidarity, in creative ways, in the neighbourhoods and in the wider society.”
Cardinal Ayuso Guixot recognises that both Christians and Sikhs can support each other and collectively take on a variety of issues facing society:
“The kind of human solidarity including interreligious solidarity witnessed on the ground in recent times, be it during disasters and emergencies or on matters quite critical for the welfare of society, commendably testifies it. Solidarity in general and its particular expressions need to be carefully sustained at the local, national and international levels, making it a movement and culture that favours and protects the common good.”
Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot is the Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.
