Vatican Ramadan message: Christians and Muslims called to 'walk side-by-side'

Source: Vatican Media

In its message for Ramadan, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue highlights that the Islamic holy month this year coincides with Lent - and calls for "inner transformation", so that Christians and Muslims might work together for peace.

This year's message, signed by the Dicastery's new prefect, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, is centered on the theme: "Christians and Muslims: What We Hope to Become Together."

"This time of fasting, prayer and sharing," the message reads, "is a privileged opportunity to draw closer to God and be renewed in the fundamental values of religion, compassion and solidarity. This year, Ramadan largely coincides with Lent, which for Christians is a period of fasting, supplication and conversion to Christ."

This rare alignment in the religious calendar, Cardinal Koovakad writes, "offer a unique opportunity to walk side-by-side, Christians and Muslims, in a common process of purification, prayer and charity."

"More than simply a month of fasting, Ramadan appears to us Catholics as a school of inner transformation.," the message continues. In Christian tradition, Lent is a similar time, a period when "through fasting, prayer and almsgiving we seek to purify our hearts and refocus on the One who guides and directs our lives".

Both Ramadan and Lent, through their calls to devotion and self-discipline, serve as reminders that faith "is not just about outward gestures but a journey of inner conversion," the message emphasizes.

However, Cardinal Koovakad warns that "in a world marked by injustice, conflict, and uncertainty about the future, our shared calling cannot be reduced to spiritual practices alone." He stresses that Christians and Muslims "can bear witness together to the hope that friendship is possible, despite the weight of history and the ideologies that divide us."

In this Jubilee Year centered on hope, the message reaffirms the Christian belief that "hope is rooted in the certainty that God's love is stronger than any trials or obstacles."

Faith in God, the statement continues, is "a treasure that unites us." This year, as both Christian and Muslim traditions converge in the observance of Ramadan and Lent, believers "have a unique opportunity to show the world that faith transforms both individuals and societies, acting as a force for unity and reconciliation." The message underscores that Christians do not simply seek to coexist with Muslims but to "live together in sincere and mutual respect."

The common values shared by Christians and Muslims, such as justice, compassion and respect for creation, "should inspire our actions and our relationships, and serve as a compass for building bridges rather than walls", the message goes on to say.

"In this season of Ramadan and the approach of 'Id al-Fitr, we are happy to share this hope with you. May our prayers, our gestures of solidarity and our efforts for peace be tangible signs of our sincere friendship with you. May this feast be an occasion for fraternal encounters between Muslims and Christians, in which we can celebrate together God's goodness."