ROME, OCT. 1, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- An expert on Eastern religions says the
Vatican’s recent declaration about the Catholic Church as the "universal
sacrament of salvation" will not hurt genuine dialogue between religions.

Father Gaetano Favaro, is professor in the Institutes of Religious Sciences
of Milan and Brescia, and the department of theology in Lugano commented on
the "Dominus Iesus" (The Lord Jesus) declaration to the Italian newspaper
Avvenire.

"Dominus Iesus," published Sept. 5 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, has come under criticism from other religions for its tone and
its reiteration of the Second Vatican Council’s teaching that the one
Church of Christ "subsists in the Catholic Church."

Father Favaro said that despite the criticism, "the Church continues to be
the universal sacrament of salvation and 'mendicant of wisdom.' It
underlines the definitive and completely original revelation of Jesus
Christ, the one Savior, but it is very aware of the good the Holy Spirit
brings about in men's hearts and in the different religious traditions."

Father Favaro, who is a missionary of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign
Missions, or PIME, said he does not see an obstacle to genuine dialogue in
the document's publication, a dialogue "which cannot disregard the truth,"
he said Sept. 30.

He added, "John Paul II himself stressed this in his message to the
congress on 'Men and Religions,' held in Lisbon [see ZENIT, Sept. 26,
2000]. We must not slow down the steps of dialogue, which does not ignore
the real differences, but neither does it cancel the common condition of
pilgrims. ... We must all be more intrepid on this road."

"In all recent teachings, there is room for search and the reaffirmation of
the need for inculturation of the Gospel," the theologian said.
"Undoubtedly, the relation with Eastern philosophies and with postmodern
relativist thought is a complex aspect."

--Avvenire: Why is it not possible to accept relativism or Eastern
philosophies?

--Father Favaro: The relativist position, with respect to truth, ignores
the metaphysical dimension of the historical Incarnation of the eternal
Logos, reducing it to the mere appearance of God in history. Moreover, a
certain convergence between the Western rationalist mentality and Eastern
symbolic thought led to the increasingly widespread conviction of the
impossibility to express and communicate divine truth, including Christian
revelation.

These are positions that characterize postmodern thought and so-called weak
thought, but which are also found in Eastern thought. Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
himself was clear. During the press conference he identified the relativist
philosophy that is at the root of so much post-metaphysical Western thought
and Asian negative theology.

--Avvenire: Hence the specific risk of a dangerous syncretism ...

--Father Favaro: Above all, the negation of the personal unity between the
eternal Word and Jesus of Nazareth, who died and resurrected. There is no
lack of theologians who wish to dialogue with the Asian world, who are
committed to the inculturation of the Gospel, and who often use the
categories of negative theology, imbibing the great Hindu tradition, which
has never separated religion and the philosophy of mysticism.

For some currents of this religious tradition, the world tends to be pure
illusion, and the same is true of everything that pertains to history. One
can immediately see the consequences of this position in regard to the
birth and death of Christ. The "Dominus Iesus" declaration does not block
theological research and does not subscribe exclusively to one theology to
the detriment of others, but attempts to put these theologies on guard so
that they will not come to a dead end.

Then there is the question of Buddhism, with the problem of the silence of
God and on God. It seems that in some Buddhist currents, no question about
God can even be asked ... because the question already implies the answer.
However, if the Absolute cannot be configured or represented, then one is
left with the impossibility of expressing oneself on the reality of God.

--Avvenire: As a result, in the name of dialogue, the worth of Revelation
and of the incarnation of Christ would be devalued.

--Father Favaro: The risk exists and, with it, the danger of casting doubt
on the essential unity of the saving plan of God that enters history. This
is what Ratzinger himself points out as the "ideology of the dialogue." As
a result, there is the risk of placing other traditional religions on the
same plane as revealed faith, degrading the unique and universal character
of salvation in Christ.

--Avvenire: There are those who maintain, specifically, that when there is
belief in Christ as the only Savior, dialogue is impeded.

--Father Favaro: The document must be seen in a dynamic historical context,
keeping in mind its specific objective: a text directed to the Catholic
Church that affirms the truths about Christ against certain degeneration.
It does not affirm simplistically the exclusivity of historical
Christianity, but rather affirms the exclusivity of salvation through
Christ, one and true Son of God.

This oneness of mediation also acts in other religions, at least in those
in which the work of the Holy Spirit is recognized. A Hindu is saved not so
much by his religion but only through Christ. This is what "Redemptoris
Missio," which the document refers to, defines with the name "participant
mediations." The dialogue must be built on these "mediations," appreciating
the good that exists in the religious traditions.
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