“A Mighty Tree” from Istanbul

The pandemic has disrupted all our plans, even those of the Committee for Interreligious Relations of the Diocese of Istanbul to which I have belonged for several years.

It is impossible to even think of what has now become a tradition for several years; that is, a meal to break the fast during the month of Ramadan, to which many Muslim friends, including several religious and civil personalities, are invited.

What are we to do now?

It was a beautiful coincidence to have three feasts – the Christian Easter, the Jewish Pesach (Passover) and the start of the Muslim month of Ramadan – celebrated last April. This time that we are going through together, in suffering and supplication to God, prompted us to organize a moment of sharing and prayer to which to invite the religious leaders of Istanbul. We were surprised by the response.

On April 22, in one hour on a Zoom platform, 13 talks and prayers were presented by leaders of different Christian churches, a Chief Rabbi, several Muslim intellectuals and well-known personalities from various Islamic currents in Turkey. Despite having 99% Muslim inhabitants, Turkey is truly a mosaic of religious traditions and cultures…

The event was characterized by the profound depth in each presenter’s words, by the careful listening of one for the other, and by the testimony of fraternity in diversity, greatly valued by the participants.

One of the participants recalled: “Our prophet Muhammad said: ‘All humanity seems a mighty tree. The roots of the tree, its branches, its leaves, its flowers and fruits are not the same, but the tree shows exactly all its value by these differences…’

Umberta Viledi Fabris

We are one

“I have been involved in interfaith dialogue now for about eight years. I started my involvement in Australia with the Jewish Christian Muslim Association of Australia (JCMA), which was a good start as everyone had God at the center of their belief. After a few years, I became the secretary of the organization which was a step up in understanding the workings of the organization and also an opportunity to become more intimately involved with the people of the three faiths. We implemented faith sharing groups where, once a month, members got together to discuss and understand the various texts of the three faiths in the spirit of a gift to inspire each other with the writings from our respective faiths that we loved most.

In 2018, I moved to New Zealand and so became involved with the Wellington Interfaith Council (WIFC) which for me was another great step in the right direction as I had always wanted to be connected with people of diverse faiths. I have found the people here in New Zealand to be very open and interested in learning about each other.

We visit each other’s places of worship and share our prayer and texts before every meeting. We also get involved in each other’s major festivals or commemorations, all of which creates a greater solidarity.

At present, we are doing a lot of consultation with the State Government because since the March 15, 2019 Christchurch mosque’s attacks, where 51 Muslims died, the government has realized the importance of contacts with the different faiths in order to create networks within the community and with government. One of us, a Muslim lady, started a dialogue after the Christchurch attacks, in the form of meetings across the region at community centers with the title ‘We are one’; there people from the different religions could share their faith experiences with the general public. These events, about 12 in all last year, were a great success and will continue either online or publicly again after lockdown.

Personally, I feel very enriched by the encounter within this diversity of expression. I also feel that there is a genuine desire on the part of all to enter into each other’s world so as to be a part of each other and to build a just society.”

Ian Hamilton (Oceania)

The virus entered my life

“COVID-19 unexpectedly entered my life, as well as my convent. I have no idea where I had contracted it. I was declared ‘positive’ on March 19, along with some of the confreres. Thus, we were immediately forced to live completely segregated from the rest of the community.

For me, the quarantine was extended for 40 days. For seven days, I also had to be hospitalized. My only symptom was a rather high fever, which accompanied me for several days both in the convent and in the hospital. The virus probably weakened my heart.

It was an experience, however, that did not prevent me from continuing to love my brothers, to live my illness in communion with many people throughout the world who have been affected by the same virus, and in solidarity and closeness with my confreres in community, who are also in isolation.

In the heaviest and most difficult days of the virus infection, I was greatly supported and relieved by the solidarity, unity and prayers which so many people, from various parts of the world, continually assured me. From many Franciscan religious and other Orders, and from many members of the Focolare Movement, including Emmaus and Jesús Moran.

The prayers assured by brothers and sisters of other religions gave me particular strength and support.  For many years, I was assigned in Assisi and was able to know and establish relationships of fraternity and friendship with “brothers” of Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim faiths and members of other Christian churches as well.

Having learned of my illness, they sent many expressions of closeness, assuring me of many prayers.

What struck me and gave me so much strength were the prayers of the Buddhist ‘brothers,’ monks and lay people from Thailand and Taiwan. They were monks and lay people whom I had met in Assisi and also in their own countries. I was impressed, above all, by the continuous prayer, until my recovery, of two little girls, daughters of a Buddhist professor from Bangkok whom I had met on my trip to Thailand.

For me, it was natural to thank them and, at the same time, to offer everything, so that the pandemic would not affect the countries from which the prayers came.”

Fr. Egidio Canil, Franciscan Conventual friar