A Muslim worshipper during the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at the Al Maida Mosque Kibera in Nairobi

Vatican

Lent and Ramadan as 'catalysts for a renewed world'

In its message for the month of Ramadan, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue highlights this year’s overlap with Lent, expressing hope that the two holy periods might “become a catalyst for a renewed world, where the weapons of war give way to the courage of peace.”

Vatican News

"Through this shared season of Ramadan and Lent, may our inner transformation become a catalyst for a renewed world, where the weapons of war give way to the courage of peace.”

Those are the words of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue’s message for Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr, signed by the Prefect, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, and the Secretary, Monsignor Indunil J.K. Kodithuwakku.

"Peace — this is my fervent wish", the message reads, "for each of you, for your families, and for the nations in which you live."

Peace, Cardinal Koovakad writes, comes from "disarmament of the heart, the mind and life", and is a gift from God that is nourished by dialogue, justice and love for forgiveness.

READ THE FULL MESSAGE HERE

Not giving in to despair

Expressing the Holy See’s solidarity and respect for Muslims, the message highlights the "providential convergence of calendars" given that Christians are currently observing Lent.

In today’s world, overloaded with "information, narratives and competing viewpoints," the message reads, we can be tempted to despair or violence.

Believers, Cardinal Koovakad says, must choose another path. Christians and Muslims are "called to imagine and to open new paths by which life may be renewed." This happens through prayer, "fasting that clears our inner vision, and concrete acts of charity."

Dare to strive for peace

Cardinal Koovakad expresses the Church's closeness to our Muslim brothers and sisters, "especially those among you who struggle or suffer in body or spirit because of your thirst for justice, equality, dignity and freedom "

Muslims and Christians "are united not only by our shared experience of trial, but also by the sacred task of restoring peace to our broken world".

The message ends with the hope that Lent and Ramadan might "become a catalyst for a renewed world, where the weapons of war give way to the courage of peace."

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