On 19 October, the visit of Cardinal Koovakad, the Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, continued with meetings with representatives from the Hindu faith.

The day, which had the theme, ‘Hindus and Christians: Together to build a just and peaceable world’, began with a visit to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple, also known as Neasden Temple, in northwest London.

The Cardinal was met by representatives of the BAPS – Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a major Hindu denomination within the Swaminarayan tradition – and taken through to the entrance of the temple where there was a ceremonial welcome.

The delegation was given a tour of the sacred spaces, housed in Europe’s first traditional Hindu stone temple, followed by a gathering in the main hall where members of the Neasden Temple community shared information and testimonies of their experiences of interreligious dialogue.

The day continued with a meeting at Global Co-operation House, the London headquarters of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, a spiritual movement led by women, dedicated to personal transformation and world renewal through Rajyoga Meditation.

The event was organised by a group of Hindu Dharmic organisations, including Action for Harmony, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, the Chinmaya Mission UK, the International Society for Krishna Cconsciousness and the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre and Brahma Kumaris UK.

A group of Hindu and Christian representatives participated in the lighting of traditional Indian lamps, followed by a keynote speech by Cardinal Koovakad. This preceded three panel sessions which explored Hindu and Catholic teachings as foundations for a just and peaceable society and interreligious dialogue as a pathway to peace.

Sr Maureen Goodman, a representative of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, gave a welcome address, thanking those who had worked together to organise the event:

“As we were preparing for this dialogue together, I was moved by the deep commitment that each one has to their own path chosen with love. A love that is secure in God is the foundation of harmony and unity, which enables us to trust and see each other with equal vision.”

In his address, Cardinal Koovakad reflected on the theme of the day’s meeting, which, he explained, “highlights our shared vision and common mission born of our faith conviction that building a just and peaceable world is necessary and possible and that we need to work together to achieve our goal.”

“With unified hearts, joint efforts, individual involvement, and communitarian advocacy, we are hopeful that we can give birth to many more peacemaking activities and peacebuilding initiatives that advance the cause of justice, harmony and coexistence in society.”

Reminding us of Pope Leo XIV’s call for each generation to shape its own era, Cardinal Koovakad stated:

“In fact, the task of shaping our era and creating a humane and more just world is not religion-specific but belonging to all religions, governments, political communities, families and all people of good will in society.

“We all agree that this is a challenging task in the prevailing world scenario. It is a huge task not without obstacles, lack of will or temptation to give up when desired results aren’t forthcoming. Nonetheless, we are constantly invited by the teachings of our respective religious traditions to take on the task as an authentic way of life and witness to faith.”

The Cardinal concluded with a focus on the shared values which the Hindu and Christian traditions uphold, and a call for the two faith traditions to continue the path of dialogue to peace.

“In an era marked by social and economic crisis, global conflicts, and the rapid rise in the use of Artificial Intelligence, turning our thoughts to human dignity and compassion has a renewed relevance if we are to build a just and peaceable world. … Interreligious dialogue does help identify new paths together, establish standards of discernment together and translate those standards into practices together.”

Panel discussions featured Hindu and Christian speakers, including Her Grace Visakha Sasi, Temple President, ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor, Fr Michael Barnes SJ, Emeritus Professor of Interreligious Relation, University of Roehampton, Dr Christine Allen, Director of CAFOD, Swami Sarvasthananda, Minister in Charge, Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, Khushboo Miyani, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and Abbot Hugh Allan O.Praem, Director of Mission, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

Cardinal Koovakad will engage in fraternal visits to the Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities from Monday 19 October to Wednesday 21 October.