Taiwan conference: 'may Christian-Daoist' dialogue provide a beacon of light'

(Vatican Radio) Dialogue between Christians and Daoists can become “a beacon of light to our world torn asunder by wars, hatred, suspicion and fear”.

This is one of the passages from the final statement released at the closing of the first International Conference on  Christian – Daoist dialogue entitled “Seeking the Truth Together”.

The conference took place at Taipei Baoan Temple on 15 and 16 October. Promoted by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Taipei Baoan Temple Foundation and by the  Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference. 

In preparation for the event Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogye and its Undersecratary, Father P. Indunil Kodithuwakku, travelled to Singapore to meet with representatives of the local Church.

Please find below the full text of the Final Statement of the International Conference on
“Seeking the Truth Together：Christian - Daoist Dialogue”:

1.    By God’s grace and providence, we Christians and Daoist leaders, researchers and practitioners, have come together for a historic meeting held in Taipei Baoan Temple on the 15th -16th October 2016 themed: "Seeking the Truth Together: Christian Daoist Dialogue." The conference has concretized our resolve for a dialogue involving the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the local Catholic Church of Taiwan, the Daoist Baoan Temple, the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC).
 
2.    Encouraged by the success of this encounter, we commit ourselves to share the fruit of our dialogue:

i). expressing deepest respect for one another’s tradition and agreeing to engage in sincere dialogue at local, national and international levels;

ii). emphasizing the need to seek the truth together for greater understanding, mutual enrichment and co-operation especially through compassionate service without distinction;

iii). acknowledging the challenges the world is facing linked to globalization, migration, religious and inter-cultural tensions and the rise of fundamentalism;

iv). hoping that Christians and Daoists coming together to dialogue becomes a beacon of light to our world torn asunder by wars, hatred, suspicion and fear;
 
v). agreeing to face together the challenges of secularization, eco-crisis and the scourge of indifference;

vi). stressing the importance of educating children to respect and appreciate their own culture and heritage, as well as those of others;

vii). promoting and defending universal values, namely justice, peace, unity, fraternity, freedom, and religious harmony.

3.    We express our gratitude to the conference committee for creating a pleasant atmosphere and for the warm hospitality that characterized this meeting. We also thank the Authorities of the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Department of Religious Studies of Fu Jen Catholic University and local Christian and Daoist believers for their generous support in making the conference a success. 

Pontifical Council for Interreligious
 Dialogue

The President of Taipei Baoan Temple Foundation
Executive Secretary