The Beauty of Interreligious Dialogue (IRD)

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Interreligious Dialgue is one of the precious and enjoyable apostolates we engage in here at Lavigerie Formation House. It is experienced through many dimensions: experts, social action, spiritual experience and life. We usually encounter people of other faiths in our apostolates like Makenke Slum, Jinja Hospital, and Home of Hope etc.  Dialogue for Experts is usually through encountering the spiritual leaders of other faiths like Islam, Hinduism. The content discussed here concerns the deepening of knowledge of the basic beliefs of the other. The Dialogue for Social Action is geared at promoting peace and justice in our society. In addition, the Dialogue of Spiritual Experience aims at enriching the other’s spiritual life by borrowing some practices from the other religion. This is in view of helping one pray or meditate better. It is not for one to abandon one’s own beliefs, which is closely leading to proselytism, which is never the aim of this encounter. Finally, the Dialogue of Life combines all the above.  



Here in Jinja, we are offered this as an elective course at PCJ. The knowledge acquired from this, has offered us the opportunity to easily understand the other religion practitioners, and the best way to mingle with them. The dialogue is not aimed at proselytism, conversion of the other, and neither is it centered on defending one’s faith. Rather, we are driven by the passion to witness to the love of Christ as Christians. This fosters the promotion of human dignity, peace and justice which is more in line with the charism of the Society of the Missionaries of Africa; Caritas. This enables us be more missionary than clerical as the recently concluded chapter stipulates it.

Ainomugisha Matthew  

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