In view of celebrating the 500th anniversary of arrival of the Christianity in the Philippines (1521-2021), the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) dedicated the year 2020 to the theme of ‘Dialogue towards Harmony’. In this line, the CBCP underlines how the interreligious dialogue should be understood: “Interreligious dialogue does not merely aim at mutual understanding and friendly relations. It reaches a much deeper level, that of the spirit, where exchange and sharing consist in a mutual witness to one’s beliefs and a common exploration of one’s respective religious convictions.”[1] This article will take this opportune moment to revisit and reflect on the current journey of interreligious dialogue in the Philippines through my personal experiences.
Three years ago, I went to visit the Golden Mosque located in Quiapo with some of our Filipino seminarians who were studying philosophy at that time. Although we did not have formal invitation or prior request, we decided to go there just to be in contact with our brothers and sisters Muslims. When we arrived at the entrance gate of the Mosque, we met a Senior Muslim who started to inquire both our identity and aim of our visit. I responded that we are seminarians willing to visit the Mosque. He said: ‘Pinapatay namin ang mga Christiano (we kill the Christians). And I replied laughing: ‘Today, you will be welcoming the Christians’. Some of my companions started to take distance while we were engaging in dialogue which became later cordial. At the end, he was the one to guide us and let us know the basics of Islam. Even though it seems to be a simple experience, it was the starting point of my interest in interfaith dialogue.
This scenario appears to be the pattern of the interreligious encounter. Sometimes, the interfaith encounter begins in an unexpected way, or we often start with curiosity, doubts, biases, fear, etc. Before assessing the current state of interreligious dialogue in the Philippines, we need first to clarify some key concepts related to interreligious dialogue?
What is interreligious Dialogue and why does it matter?
If a statement is required to define the interreligious dialogue, it might be something like this: ‘A conversation between persons of different minds, where the dialogue-partners come to learn from the other, to witness to the other, as well as to convert the other.[2]’
Why to convert the other? Many people are suspicious of the word ‘conversion’ in interfaith dialogue. However, the ultimate goal of dialogue is the conversion of both partners for a mutual understanding. In other word, the dialogue partners hope that the other would eventually come to see and truly appreciate the fundamental religious conviction of the other. It is the mutual conversion that brings about an authentic transformation of hearts, and not so much a change in religious affiliation[3]. Thus, the interreligious dialogue demands relations grounded on equality and mutual respect that can be expressed in different forms[4] such as: dialogue of daily life, dialogue of action (deeds of service), dialogue of theological exchange (religious experts), and dialogue of religious experience(faith experience).
The process of Interreligious dialogue in the Philippines
Even if there are different religions, the discourse on the interreligious dialogue in the Philippines is more oriented to the Christians-Muslims dialogue since Christianity and Islam are the main religions in the Philippines in numbers. Without any intention to underestimate other religions, the main focus of my inquiry refers to the relationship among the Christians and Muslims. In this perspective, the remark of Fr. Sebatiano D’Ambra, founder of Silsilah[5] and new executive secretary of the Commission for interreligious dialogue in the Philippine Bishops Conference is sound. He stresses ‘“We must help Catholics, Christians of different denominations, Muslims and people of other religions to have a better understanding of the mission of interreligious dialogue [...].In the Philippine context, this invitation becomes an urgent sign of the times when Christians are able to overcome the fears and prejudices built over the centuries above all towards Muslims, in order to reach an authentic understanding and respect for indigenous culture and tradition"[6]
Challenges and Opportunity of interreligious dialogue in the Philippines
The involvement of my congregation in dialogue -the Xaverian Missionaries whose charism is dedicated to the proclamation of the Kingdom of God to non-Christians- has help me to be aware of challenges and opportunity related to the interreligious dialogue in the Philippines. As a Loyola School of Theology student being prepared to the mission Ad-Gentes, I have been exposed to different interfaith groups inside and outside Ateneo. Furthermore, the Xaverian interfaith conferences where the different speakers share their experiences in the field of dialogue progressively enlighten the mind-set of the participants who may understand the interfaith dialogue as a strategy to convert others to one’s religion.
Moreover, last June 2019, my Silsilah experience of immersion in Zamboanga where the Christian participants are sent to live with Muslim families whereas Muslim participants stay in Christian families helped me to weigh biases on both sides through dialogue of daily life and faith experiences. From my experience, the sharing of the participants, and foster families, I came to be convinced that we have to dialogue not because of the expectations or fruitful outcome of dialogue, but because of God’s unconditional love we have experienced no matter what religious belonging. Otherwise, the dialogue without love, will become a strategy to proselytize: ‘The real dialogue motivated by love not only requires pain but also gives joy. Real dialogue can only be sustained by love.”[7]
Taking in consideration the various groups and institutions dedicated to the interfaith dialogue at community, regional and national, there is growing awareness about the need interreligious dialogue. Among those groups we can mention Bishops Ulama Conference composed by the Catholic bishops, Muslim Ulama, and Protestant bishop-pastors, the CBCP Commission on interreligious dialogue, the Mindanao Sulu Pastoral Conference (MSPC), the UNIHARMONY PARTNERS MANILA (UPM), a group of 22 religious communities and interfaith organizations that aim to promote dialogue to enhance mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among peoples of different faiths; The Silsilah Dialogue Movement that promotes harmony, solidarity and peace through formation on interreligious dialogue especially on issues related to Muslim-Christian understanding; the Peace Makers, etc.
While there are many positive aspects achieved by those different groups and institutions dedicated to the interfaith dialogue, in this period dedicated to ‘dialogue towards harmony’ there are many elements to improve in order to live out harmoniously our religious diversities. In his survey, Fr. Sebatiano lists some weak points of the interfaith in the Filipino context[8]. There are still a lot of prejudices against the Muslims on the part of the Christians and vice versa. Since the common complaint of the Muslims is that they have less opportunities in society, it is the same complaint from the Christians where the Muslims are majority in number. Moreover, while most of the efforts of Interfaith Dialogue are still in line with the “strategy” of dialogue, the interchange with other religions like Buddhism and Hinduism is presented only in big cities and do not have relevant impact on the national level.
Overall, the experience of interreligious dialogue in the Philippines is still an ongoing project that involves everyone beginning from the religious and political leaders up to the grassroots. Therefore, the different conferences and formations on interreligious dialogue organized on community level, regional, and nationwide especially during this year wil help the people to nurture the culture of interfaith dialogue which is the integral part of the Church's evangelizing mission.
[1] Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Dialogue Towards Harmony, December 01, 2019
[2] Dialogue, Resource Manual for Catholics in Asia, ed. Edmond Chia, FSC, (FABC-OEIA, Bangkok, 2001), 181
[3] Idem, 181
[4] Cf. Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue: Dialogue and Proclamation no 42, (Rome, 19 May 1991)
[5] Silsilah is a movement based in Zamboanga and envisions a life-in-dialogue for all Muslims, Christians, and peoples of other living faiths in respect, trust and love for one another, and moving together towards a common experience of harmony solidarity and peace.
[6]http://www.fides.org/en/news/66222ASIA_PHILIPPINES_Interreligious_dialogue_to_overcome_prejudices_and_live_human_fraternity( Accessed Jan 27,2020)
[7] Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, PME , Call to a Dream: Silsilah Dialogue Movement,( Silsilah Publications, Zamboanga, 2008 ),10
[8] Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, PME, Interreligious dialogue, the Mission of Dialogue and Peace in the light of the Beatitudes , (Claretian Communications Foundation, Quezon City , 2019), 26