From 16-22 October 2026, His Eminence Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue made his first official Church visit to the UK to meet with representatives of other religions with a particular focus on the Dharmic religions.
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Bishops' Document > Nostra Aetate > Interfaith Dialogue > World Religions > Prayer > Benedict XVI Lectures > Cardinal Tauran in UK > Muslim Foundation address >The visit had the theme Together in prayer and dialogue for peace, and took place in London and Birmingham.
Use the carousel below to watch a short reel giving you a flavour of each day’s events for Cardinal Koovakad’s visit. There is a scroll bar you can drag/scroll under the embedded films.
You can browse the Visit Itinerary or read a report of each day’s key events by visiting the pages in this section below.
The day, titled, ‘Sikhs and Christians together to promote solidarity and service for peace in the world’, marked the fifth bilateral Sikh-Catholic dialogue meeting since 2001.
Events centred on Jain-Christian dialogue, with the theme, 'Together to promote ‘Ahimsa’ (non-violence) for peace in the world'.
A visit to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple, Neasden Temple, in London. The theme for the day was: ‘Hindus and Christians: Together to build a just and peaceable world'.
The visit of Cardinal Koovakad continued on 18 October with the celebration of Mass and a gathering of ecumenical and Jewish representatives.
Representatives from the major world religions gathered in London on Saturday 17 October to sign a pledge to work together for peace.
His Eminence Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, spoke to us ahead of his visit to the UK to meet with representatives of Dharmic religions.
The itinerary for Cardinal Koovakad's 2026 official Church visit to the UK. The Cardinal engaged in interreligious gatherings with a particular focus on the Dharmic religions.
