EASTERN THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE

JORHAT, ASSAM

Course: Christian Faith and Witness in Pluralistic Society (BID06)

Topic: Ecumenical Discussions on Interfaith Dialogue: Vatican II and post-Vatican

developments; CCA and NCCI; other discussions and affirmations.

Presenters: Ngachanso, Renstamo, Vabeipipatha (L), John, Punash and Brewil.

Respondents: Ningsepila, Kikili (L), Gloria, Elina, Imlipenla and Balency.

Moderator: Dr. Marlene Ch. Marak

Class: BD-III (1st Semester) Date: 2nd November, 2020.

Contents

Introduction

1. Ecumenical Discussions on Interfaith Dialogue

2. Vatican II

3. Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID)

4. Christian Conference of Asia (CCA)

5. National Council of Churches in India (NCCI)

6. Other Discussions and Affirmations

6.1. Second International Congress on World Evangelization (Lausanne II)

6.2. Lambeth Conference (1988)

7. Reflection

Conclusion

Bibliography and Webliography

Introduction

The underlying purpose of all interfaith dialogue is to enhance communication, dialogue and
cooperation between different faiths and religious groups. Interfaith dialogue is about people of
different faiths coming to a mutual understanding and respect that allows them to live and
cooperate with each other in spite of their differences. P.D. Devanandan opines that interfaith
dialogue is carried out to give all men of faith full freedom for religious self-expression by
admitting and accepting each other’s differences.1 Ecumenical discussions on interfaith dialogue
aims to aid individuals and groups towards gaining more insights about other faiths and their
belief system and also towards religious tolerance and promoting peaceful coexistence in the
society. In this paper, we’ll be dealing with the ecumenical discussions on interfaith dialogue in
Vatican II, Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and in organizations such as CCA,
NCCI, followed by Lausanne II and Lambeth Conference of 1988.

1. Ecumenical Discussion on Interfaith Dialogue

The Ecumenical Movement that started in the World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh in
1910 provided a solid underpinning for the expansion of inter-religious dialogue. This movement
focused on interfaith discussions in order to understand people of other faiths better and to
achieve peace and build unity through dialogue. 2 This conference provided the setting for the
first ecumenical discussion of other religions. Commission IV of this conference which was
entitled “The Missionary Message in Relation to Non-Christian Religions”, dealt in relation to
interfaith dialogue and came up with the conclusion that, the Christian approach towards other
religion should be of love and appreciation. 3 This ecumenical movement became the foundation
of interfaith dialogue for the following conferences held by the World Missionary Conference. It
also influenced other ecumenical bodies such as the World Council of Churches, Vatican II,
CCA, NCCI and others to include interfaith dialogue in their discussion.

1 M. Stephen, A New Mission Agenda: Dialogue, Diakonia and Discipling (Delhi: ISPCK, 2000), 42.
2 Catherine Cornille, ed., The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Inter-Religious Dialogue (Chichester: Wiley-
Blackwell, 2013), 4.
3 Brain Stanley, The World Missionary Conference, Edinburgh 1910 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 2009), 211.
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2. Vatican II

Vatican II or the Second Vatican Council was the twenty-first ecumenical council of the Catholic
Church. It was convened by Pope John XXIII and lasted for four sessions from 1962 through
1965 and continued under Pope Paul VI.4 It produced a series of document to direct the life of
the Church in the twentieth century and beyond.5 The Council was instrumental for renewal in
the self-understanding of the Church, its inner life and its relationship to other Christian
traditions, other religion and the world. 6 The Second Vatican Council marked an important new
stage in the relationship of the Catholic Church with other religious traditions. This council was
the first in the history of the Roman Catholic Church to address specifically the question of
relations of the church with other religions, resulting in the declaration of Nostra Aetate. Nostra
Aetate (one of the sixteen official documents of the Council) was a declaration of the Catholic
Church’s attitude towards other faiths. The document denounced all forms of anti-Semitism and
affirmed that Christians should recognize the elements of truth and spiritual values of other
religions and cooperate with them in efforts to establish justice, peace and freedom for all, while
proclaiming Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life. 7 Another significant document of
Vatican 2 was Ecclesiam Suam, an encyclical of Pope Paul VI which made a considerable
impact on the teachings about interfaith dialogue.8

3. Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID)

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) was created on 19 May 1964 by Pope
Paul VI, by then it was called Secretariat for Non-Christians, and only in 1988 the name was
changed to Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The council is the central office of the
Catholic Church for promoting interreligious dialogue in accordance with the spirit of the
Second Vatican Council, in particular the declaration of Nostra Aetate. Within many other
departments in the Roman Curia, the PCID is the central hub for dialogue in the Catholic
Church. The goals of the PCID are threefold: to promote mutual understanding, respect, and

4 “Vatican Council, Second,” https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/religion/christian/council-

treaty/vatican-council-second (Accessed on 22/10/20).
5 “Second Vatican Council,” https://www.carroll.edu/mission-catholic-identity/second-vatican-council
(Accessed on 21/10/20).
6 “Vatican II – Voice of the Church,” https://vatican2voice.org/ (Accessed on 22/10/20).
7 John Briggs, Mercy Amba Oduyoye and Georges Tsetsis, eds., A History of the Ecumenical Movement:
Volume 3, 1968-2000 (Geneva: WCC Publications, 2000), 172.
8 Edmund Kee-Fook Chia, ed., Interfaith Dialogue: Global Perspectives (New York: Springer Nature,
2016), 3.
2
collaboration between Catholics and the followers of others religious traditions; to encourage the
study of religions; and to promote the formation of persons dedicated to dialogue. 9 In 1984, the
Secretariat issued a document entitled "The Attitude of the Church Towards the Followers of
Other Religions: Reflections and Orientations on Dialogue and Mission." In this document it
stated that the evangelizing mission of the Church is a "single but complex and articulated
reality." It indicates the principal elements of this mission: presence and witness; commitment to
social development and human liberation; liturgical life, prayer and contemplation; interreligious
dialogue; and finally, proclamation and catechesis.10

4. Christian Conference of Asia (CCA)

The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) began as the East Asia Christian Conference (EACC),
which was constituted by churches, and Christian councils, whose representatives met at Prapat,
Indonesia in 1957. It was inaugurated at an assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1959 and
later the East Asia Christian Conference was renamed to Christian Conference of Asia in 1973. 11
The CCA has 95 member churches and 16 member councils in 17 countries. The CCA strives for
the unity of the church in Asia, joint action in mission, Asian contribution to Christian thought
and worship, sharing and fellowship among the churches in Asia and beyond, relationships with
people of other faiths in Asia, human dignity and care for the creation. 12 The CCA also
emphasizes working together with government and other agencies in programs which aims
primarily at meeting human needs in Asia through service to community in partnership with
other Christian communities, other religions or with communities no religion.13
Between 1979 and 1989, a large number of meetings, conferences on regional, sub-regional, and
national levels were held on subjects such as dialogue with peoples of other faiths and its
implications for discerning God's mission, mission of God in the context of suffering people in
Asia, holistic evangelism, etc. An important conference of CCA was the Asian Mission
Conference which was held in 1989 in Indonesia. The emphasis of the conference was to give
9 "Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue,"
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/index.htm (Accessed on 29/10/20).
10 "Pontifical Council For Interreligious Dialogue In Collaboration With The Congregation For The
Evangelization Of Peoples,"
https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/research_sites/cjl/texts/cjrelations/resources/documents/catholic/PCID_1991.h
tm (Accessed on 29/10/20).
11 T.V. Philip, Ecumenism in Asia (Delhi: ISPCK and CSS, 1994), 137.
12 "Christian Conference of Asia," https://www.oikoumene.org/organization/christian-conference-of-asia
(Accessed on 29/10/20).
13 James Massey and Wati Longchar, eds., Edinburgh 2010: Witnessing to Christ Today in India (Kolkata:
SATHRI and SCEPTRE, 2011), 37.
3
theological significance for the life and mission of the Asian churches by accepting them without
any bias on the basis of religion, political ideology and cultural differences.14

5. National Council of Churches in India (NCCI)

The National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) is an inter-confessional autonomous council

and an ecumenical expression constantly initiating, promoting and coordinating various forms of
ministries of witness and service in the wider community and society. It has been organizing
various interfaith discussions in order to bring about mutual understand and peace among
religions. One such interfaith dialogue was organized by the NCCI jointly with the Church of
North India, Nagpur Diocese, India Peace Centre, Trinity Living Fellowship and Nagpur
Pastors' Fellowship on 8th Oct, 2013 at Nagpur under the theme "Responding in Faith in
Christian Muslim Dialogue" convened by Dr. Ian Rex Fry. There were 65 participants from
various faiths and ideological backgrounds and professions including Jains, Hindus Muslims,
Sikhs and Christians. This dialogue aimed towards conveying that no faith should either
discriminate or stigmatize others in the name of faith and that dialogue is nothing but a faith
expression.15 Another interfaith dialogue was organized jointly by NCCI and United Evangelical
Lutheran Church (UELC) on June 18, 2015 at NCCI campus, Nagpur on the occasion of
International Day Against Child Labour. The main aim of this programme was to develop a
platform where people of different faiths could come together and work towards the rights of
children. People of different faiths such as Muslim, Buddhist, Christian and Bahai presented their
talks from their own faith perspective.16

6. Other Discussions and Affirmations

Lausanne II of 1989 and Lambeth Conference of 1988 both included inter-religious dialogue in
their discussions.

6.1 Second International Congress on World Evangelization (Lausanne II)

The Second International Congress on World Evangelization, often called “Lausanne II” or
“Lausanne 89” was held in Manila, Philippines in 1989. The conference is noted for producing

14 Philip, Ecumenism in Asia, 149-152.

15 “NCCI Holds Inter-Faith Christian Muslim Dialogue,” https://www.nagpurtoday.in/ncci-holds-inter-
faith-christian-muslim-dialogue/10111139 (Accessed on 26/10/20).
16 “Interfaith Dialogue on Child Labour and Child Rights,”
https://www.ncci1914.com/1454/2015/06/18/nccinews/ (Accessed on 26/10/20).
4
the Manila Manifesto, a renewed and expanded commitment to the Lausanne Covenant, an
influential document in modern Evangelical Christianity.17 Lausanne II in Manila has played a
significant role in a movement which stands for completing the task of world evangelization, for
cooperation in that cause and for networking between evangelical leaders in that task.18 The
‘Manila Manifesto’ which was produced in Lausanne II conference gave great attention to the
religious pluralistic world and the need for interfaith dialogue. It introduced a fresh theme which
called for humility in the witness among other religious group by the Christians.19

6.2. Lambeth Conference (1988)

The Lambeth conference is a decennial assembly of bishops of the Anglican Communion that is
convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was first held in 1867 and since then fourteen
conferences have taken place. The twelfth Lambeth conference that was held in 1988 dealt with
interfaith dialogue. They formulated 73 resolutions in that conference and resolution 20 and 21
dealt explicitly with interfaith dialogue.20 Under resolution 20, the conference commended that
interfaith dialogue is a part of Christian discipleship and mission which depends upon mutual
understanding, respect and trust. This dialogue was necessary to make contribution in helping
people of different faiths to make common cause in resolving issues of peacemaking, social
justice and religious liberty. And under resolution 21, the conference encouraged the Churches of
the Anglican Communion to engage in dialogue with Jews and Muslims on the basis of
understanding, affirmation and sharing as illustrated in the document “Jews, Christians and
Muslims: The Way of Dialogue”. An inter-faith committee under the recommendation of the
Anglican Consultative Council was also to be set up and this committee was to establish a
common approach to people of other faiths on a communion wide basis.21

17 “Second International Congress on World Evangelization,”

https://enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/1046750/Second_International_Congress_on_World_Evangelization
(Accessed on 25/10/20).
18 “Lausanne II: International Congress on World Evangelization,”
https://www.lausanne.org/gatherings/congress/manila-1989 (Accessed on 25/10/20).
19 James A. Scherer and Stephen B. Bevans, eds., New Directions in Mission and Evangelization 1: Basic
Statements, 1974-1991 (New York: Orbis Books, 1992), 293.
20 “History and Impact,” https://www.lambethconference.org/about/history-and-impact/ (Accessed on
28/10/20).
21 “The Lambeth Conference: Resolutions Archive from 1988,”
https://www.anglicancommunion.org/media/127749/1988.pdf (Accessed on 26/10/20).
5
7. Reflection

Yoshiaki Iisaka said that, the purpose of interreligious dialogue is peace. And by definition,
peace is commonly understood as harmony with God, one’s self, others, and nature. In dialogue,
reconciliation does not only involve being able to define our beliefs well but also being open to
hear the beliefs of others.22 Interreligious dialogue is unique as it strengthens the individual
through exposure to differences and it sees differences as strengths. But how do we as Christians
apply the differences to bring unity? Well, common tenets of many faiths practice like peace,
non-violence, truth and brotherhood are the underlying principles of every religion. A good
example can be the interreligious dialogue which was held on November 2015 by Universal
Peace Federation of India under the motto, 'One Family Under God'. This proved to be an
effective move because, not only the eminent religious leaders gathered to discuss the issues, but
it was also supported by politicians, civil societies, etc. 23 In many cases, conflicts and division
happening in our society is because many people are ignorant about the true teaching found in
every sacred scripture. We have to look at the larger picture rather than the trivial differences.
The best example is found in Matthew 15, which talks about the foundation of ecumenical
discussion among the apostles, elders, Paul, Barnabas and the Pharisees. We see here that Paul
and Barnabas went on to affirm the need of not enforcing circumcision among the Gentiles in
order to be saved and become a follower of Christ. Quite often as Christians, it can be all too
easy for each of us to identify the division and obstacles between ourselves and those form other
religion and Christian denominations, but what unites us is far stronger than what divides us. If
Christians are to be truly ecumenical in their outlook, then better relationships and better
understandings of different Christian perspectives are essential both from an internal and external
perspective on the part of an individual.

Conclusion

We can understand from this paper how interfaith dialogue is necessary for the spread of the love
of God. We need not put of our religion before humanity but work on a common goal to make
the world a better place. Sometimes we Christians develop a mentality where we feel our religion
is superior to other religions and at times, turn a blind eye to many causes where humanity needs

22 S.J. Samartha, One Christ-Many Religions: Towards a Revised Christology (Eugene: Wipf and Stock
Publishers, 1991), 77.
23 "National Conference On Interreligious Harmony Held In India," http://www.upf.org/interfaith-
programs/4766-national-conference-on-interreligious-harmony-to-take-place-in-india (Accessed on 28/10/20).
6
our helping hand. Yet, we should always remember that God so loved the world (i.e. humanity,
irrespective of race, caste, religion and even nature) that he sent Jesus to save us all, therefore it
is our duty to share the love of God for the sake of all humankind.

7
Bibliography

Briggs, John, Mercy Amba Oduyoye and Georges Tsetsis, eds. A History of the Ecumenical
Movement: Volume 3, 1968-2000. Geneva: WCC Publications, 2000.

Chia, Edmund Kee-Fook, ed. Interfaith Dialogue: Global Perspectives. New York: Springer
Nature, 2016.

Cornille, Catherine, ed. The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Inter-Religious Dialogue.

Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013.

Massey, James and Wati Longchar, eds. Edinburgh 2010: Witnessing to Christ Today in India.
Kolkata: SATHRI and SCEPTRE, 2011.

Philip, T.V. Ecumenism in Asia. Delhi: ISPCK and CSS, 1994.

Samartha, S.J. One Christ-Many Religions: Towards a Revised Christology. Eugene: Wipf and
Stock Publishers, 1991.

Scherer, James A. and Stephen B. Bevans, eds. New Directions in Mission and Evangelization 1:
Basic Statements, 1974-1991. New York: Orbis Books, 1992.

Stanley, Brain. The World Missionary Conference, Edinburgh 1910. Grand Rapids: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009.

Stephen, M. A New Mission Agenda: Dialogue, Diakonia and Discipling. Delhi: ISPCK, 2000.

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8
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