Jyoti Mehta, Institute’s representative with Interfaith Network had an opportunity to meet the Pope during his recent state visit to the UK.
Report on the meeting in her own words is as follows:
“On Friday 17th September, I was honoured to be invited to St Mary’s University College in Twickenham for an interfaith session, as part of Pope Benedict XVI’s state visit to the UK. Ashokbhai Shah of Oshwal was also in attendance representing the Jain community.
The morning began with casually meeting other faith leaders and representatives over tea. After a short address by Archbishop Patrick Kelly of Liverpool and a few other representatives of faith, there was opportunity for group discussions. Amongst other topics we discussed was one of the key themes of the Pope’s visit, which is the secularisation of society. We also discussed the need to move on from merely tolerating other faiths to learning to respect other faiths. After these discussions, everyone moved onto the Waldegrave Room for the Papal Address. I was particularly lucky to have a seat on the front row right in front of His Holiness! After an initial speech by Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the Pope addressed all of the interreligious and faith leaders present. He spoke about the need to co-operate and maintain dialogue and to uphold freedom to practise religion all over the world. He then spoke about something which I hold to be very true, which is that inter-religious dialogue is not just about formal discussions or events such as this, but that simply living in a multi-faith and multicultural society alongside one another is a daily form of interfaith dialogue. This awareness of dialogue at grassroots level is of utmost importance. I think that to have found time to address other faith groups in the Pope’s tight schedule speaks volumes about the growing awareness of the importance of promoting inter-religious dialogue as a way of fostering peace and good relations. He also spoke about the common values that people of faith share. After his address, seven or eight people were able to go on stage and briefly meet with the Pope, and I was shocked to discover that I was one of them! This was kept a surprise, and it was such an honour. I was in a room filled with various faith and community leaders who have dedicated many years to promoting inter-faith dialogue. It was truly humbling to be selected to meet the Pope amongst such esteemed company. In my brief meeting, I shook his hands and explained that I was representing the Jain community. He said “God bless you,” and I was then gifted with a specially created golden coloured medallion in honour of his visit to the UK. The brief meeting was televised live on Sky News. It is a memory I will treasure. The event was completed with a lunch, and I particularly commend the organisers for the excellent provision of Jain food.
Whilst this was an memorable high profile event, it must be remembered that interfaith dialogue goes on all the time at all levels of society. A few months ago, I visited the Palace of Westminster to attend the launch of a document entitled, “Meeting God in Friend and Strange: Fostering respect and mutual understanding between the religions”, published by the Bishops of England and Wales. During Inter Faith Week 2009, St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School sang hymns at an event entitled “In Tune With God”, organised by Young Jains and Bhakti Mandal. In 2006 I also attended an international youth interfaith conference organised by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. I would heartily encourage Jains everywhere to get involved with your local interfaith groups and initiatives. Look out for a plethora of interfaith events coming your way during Inter Faith Week 2010!”