Doctrinal official says people, not religions, are equal in dialogue

Published: 2007-11-09

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When Catholics engage in interreligious dialogue, they must know that equality exists among the participants, not the religions they represent, said Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. "The fact that there are various religious propositions does not mean that they are equally true," the archbishop said in a Nov. 8 interview with L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper. The newspaper conducted the interview after the archbishop gave a speech to the heads of Italian men's religious orders on the theme "Witnessing to Christ, the Only Savior, in a Multireligious Society." Archbishop Amato had told the superiors general that, especially in a situation where there is so much doubt about the existence of objective truths, there is no room for dilettantes in interreligious dialogue.

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