Interreligious Seminar: Talks on “God / Allah” or “Thiên / Tian 天”

Saigon: Talks on “God / Allah” or “Thiên / Tian 天”

according to Baha’i, Caodai, Catholic, and Islamic faiths

 

 

Tuesday 22 April 2014, at 3 pm, the Diocesan Commission for Interfaith Dialogue (DCID) and the Saigon Archdiocesan Pastoral Institute (SAPI) co-organized a seminar to exchange concepts of “God / Allah” or “Thiên / Tian 天” according to Baha’i, Caodai, Catholic, and Islamic faiths. The seminar was held at the Archdiocesan Tradition House, 6 bis Tôn Đức Thắng Street, Bến Nghé Ward, District One.

 

Opening the seminar, Priest F.X. Bảo Lộc (SAPI Director of Studies and DCID Head) formally greeted distinguished dignitaries and believers of various religions. Then, according to their own faiths, all the attendees silently prayed to God, the Supreme Creator.

 

As the seminar M.C., Mr. Bùi Văn Hóa (DCID Deputy Head) introduced the attendees:

 

- Mr. Lê Lộc (member of the HCMC Baha’i Community), and a large number of Baha’i followers from Hà Nội, Daklak, and HCMC;

 

- Priest Huệ Ý (the Organ for Universalizing Caodai Teaching), and a multitude of Caodai dignitaries and followers;

 

- Priest Peter Nguyễn Văn Hiền (SAPI Director);

 

- Priest F.X. Bảo Lộc (SAPI Director of Studies and DCID Head), and DCID members;

 

- Mr. Hương Quê (poet, Head of Saigon Green Field Poetry Club), and his club members;

 

- Representatives of the Archdiocesan Commission for Catechism, etc.

 

After each presentation by Baha’i, Islamic, Caodai and Catholic representatives in turn, the attendees friendly exchanged their tolerate ideas, sharing their deep cognition or thorough understanding of the unity of all faiths. Indeed, according to them, God – or any different names – is the same goal of human beings’ spiritual journey to the Verity, the Goodness, and the Beauty.

 

A short break was skipped, and Ms. Mary Lý Ngọc Anh (DCID) gracefully recited a long poem describing “the color of God”, originally titled The Beautiful Color of Love by Arnold Watt, translated into Vietnamese by Huệ Khải (a Caodai writer).

 

At the near end of the seminar, it was a great joy for the whole attendees to welcome His Eminence Jean-Baptiste Cardinal Phạm Minh Mẫn, who warmly and friendly expressed his feelings, as a companion of everyone on the journey of interfaith dialogs.

 

That great joy was doubled at the close of the seminar when His Excellency Bishop Stephanus Tri Bửu Thiên appeared. Specially responsible for Interfaith Dialogs, the Cần Thơ Bishop was so occupied with the Espicopal Conference that he could not join the talks earlier. He cheerfully greeted everyone, congratulating the DCID on its successful pastotal services, expecting that its typical activities would be “multiplied” in other dioceses.

We all brethren share the same house. We all brethren have the same Father… The singing accompanied by enthusiastic claps ended the meeting at 6 pm. Then, all the attendees gathered at the square of the Pastoral Center to have some photographs taken, as a significant souvenir of the first interfaith seminar.

 

Reported by H.Kh.