Summary of Jain Engagement with the Vatican to date.
1986
Direct contact between the Vatican and the Jain community occurred for the first time in October 1986, when Pope John Paul II convened representatives of the world’s religions to gather at the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Italy to pray together for the first time in history. Acharya Shri Tulsi, the 9th Supreme Head of Terapanth Jain tradition was invited to participate in this historic event. Though the Acharya himself could not participate in it, he deputed the then Dr Sohanlal Jain Gandhi – chairman of the Anuvrat Global Organization for the same.
1993
Contact established between Jains and Roman Catholics at the Parliament for the Worlds’ Religions Centenary celebrations held in Chicago, USA in August 1993
1995
In February 1995, the Institute of Jainology (IOJ) took an international Jain delegation led by H.E. Dr L.M. Singhvi (High Commissioner of India to the UK) for an audience with HH The Pope John Paul II. The Pope spent nearly 35 minutes with the Jain delegates and encouraged them to continue to dialogue. The Pope was presented with a copy of That Which is – Tattvartha Sutra. Jain relations with the Vatican have remained friendly ever since and have been exchanging greetings on their respective festivals.
2000
At the dawn of the century, Jains were invited to Vatican. Jains provided a sitar sangeet with standing ovation by the audience.
2010
17th September 2010, Jyoti Mehta 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. Ashok Shah of Oshwal Association of the U.K (OAUK) was also in attendance representing the Jain community.
Report on IOJ Website: Jain Representative with Interfaith Network Meets the Pope
2011
On 6 December 2011 in Rome, a meeting between a delegation of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), led by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and 14 International Jain delegates led by Nemu Chandaria of IOJ took place at the Vatican.
At the meeting, both set of delegates looked for concrete areas of convergence as a basis of collaboration between the two religions. They focused on the principle of non-violence, comparing it to the Christian notion of ‘charity’, finding common ground for further collaboration while highlighting differences between the two principles. In particular, Monsignor Andrew Thanya-anan Vissanu, under-secretary of PCID, said that while Jains extend the principle of non-violence and absolute respect for life to all living beings, including plants and animals, Christians maintain that man is at the centre of creation and thus is called to respect, protect but also use God’s gifts. The meeting recognized the “cordial relations and cooperation that exist between both Christian and Jain communities in countries where they live their day-to-day lives in proximity” and stressed the need to strengthen ties at local level to “better contribute towards the common good of the entire society”.
At end of the discussions, a joint communiqué was agreed upon and issued by the Vatican. Click Here for the Vatican Communiqué.
The following day, the Jain delegates had audience with HH The Pope Benedict XVI and presented him with the Jain Manuscripts Catalogues and a copy of Jain Art from India Exhibition book.
Report on IOJ Website: Jain Delegation to the Vatican.
2011
25th – 28th October 2011 – Dr Harshad Sanghrajka of IOJ was invited by HH the Pope to attend the Silver Jubilee of World Day of Prayer for Peace. HH Pope Benedict XVI had organised The Day of Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer for Justice and Peace in the World based on the theme: Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace. This was followed by a pilgrimage to Assisi with the Holy Father
2012
On 16th May the Most Reverend Archbishop Kevin McDonald Archbishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, England visited the Jain temple at the Oshwal Centre, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.
Report on IOJ Website: The Day Archbishop Mcdonald Came to Oshwal Centre
2013
19 March 2013. Jains were invited to the papal inauguration of HH The Pope Francis I. Dr Harshad N Sanghrajka of the IOJ attended as a representative of the Jain community world-wide at this ceremony. On 20 March 2013, Dr Sanghrajka, along with other faith representatives individually met the Holy Father in Clementine Hall at the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope. Dr Sanghrajka after greeting the Holy Father delivered the message from the Jain Community” I bring you greetings from the Jain
community world-wide, we congratulate you and we wish you all the best.”
Report on IOJ Website: Papal Inauguration of HH the Pope Francis I
2013
His Eminence Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, President of the PCID at the Vatican, accompanied by a delegation led by Archbishop Kevin McDonald, Chair of the Bishops’ Conference Office for Interreligious Relations visited the Jain Derasar at the Oshwal Centre, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire on Friday 14 June. During the visit discussions took place concerning Ahimsa (non-violence) and its practice as a contribution for peace.
Report on IOJ Website: Jains Meet the Catholics in London. (Includes transcripts of the address by Cardinal Tauran, Professor Nalini Balbir talk on the “Jain perspective on the practice of non-violence and peace” as well a reflection on the same topic by Jesuit priest Prof Michael Barnes SJ)
2014
19 May 2014, Dr Harshad Sanghrajka of IOJ, representing all Jains worldwide was present at the Golden Anniversary celebrations of Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican. Pope Paul VI, on 19th May 1964, instituted the “Secretariat for Non-Christians”, the forerunner of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) at The Holy See. A laser engraved crystal memento was presented to Cardinal Tauran, President of the PCID by Dr Sanghrajka.
Report on IOJ Website: Celebrating 50 years of Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican
2014
17 – 19 November, at the Vatican-convened event formally titled Humanum: An Interreligious Colloquium on the Complementarity of Man and Woman, Dr Harshad Sanghrajka of IOJ was invited by the Vatican to represent Jains worldwide and present the Jain philosophical view on this topic.
2016
2 November 2016, members from several UK Jain organisations visited the Vatican at the invitation of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (PCID) as well as a general Audience with HH Pope Francis on the following day
Report on IOJ Website: Jain Delegation for a General Audience with His Holiness the Pope
2016
31 May 2016, a meeting between the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and an International Jain delegation took place in the offices of the same Council, at the Vatican. The 35 strong international Jain delegation, led by Mr Nemu Chandaria, Chairman of the IOJ, and had Jain leaders from the UK, India and the Middle East. The delegations discussed the topic of ‘Taking care of the Earth, the home of the human family’.
Report on IOJ Website: H H The Pope thanks Jains for commitment to care for the planet
IOJ Press Release
Vatican Bulletin
Pope thanks Jains for commitment to care for the planet
Post on Independent Catholic News website.
2019
7 – 9 March 2019. Dr Samani Pratibha Pragya and Samani Unnata Pragya from Jain Vishva Bharati, London represented OneJAIN UK at the International Conference on Religions and Sustainable Development Goals at Vatican City.
His Holiness Pope Francis greeted leaders from world religious traditions and representatives of International Organisations. He reminded the delegates about the ‘sacredness of our earth’ and asked them to open up their treasures of knowledge to build the future of our planet
Dr Samani Pratibha Pragya presented her paper “Reverence for all Life-forms: A Jain Approach to Sustainability: A Jain Perspective” on 8 March.
Report on IOJ Website: Jain Representation at the Vatican
2019
1 Oct 2019 – Dr Mehool Sanghrajka, the Managing Trustee of IOJ, represented the Jain faith at the day-long conference entitled “Fraternal love and non-violence for global peace and harmony” to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, organised by the PCID at the Vatican. He presented a paper entitled “Gandhi’s Legacy of Ahimsa” at the conference and on the following day, after the public mass in St Peter’s Square, he was given an opportunity to garland HH the Pope and convey the prayers of the Jain community.
Report on IOJ Website: Gandhi’s Legacy on Ahimsa at the Vatican
2021
4 – 5 October 2021 – Satish Kumar (former Jain monk and one of the founders of Schumacher College, UK), represented the Jain faith and community at the Vatican for two days of talks focussed on the climate emergency ahead of COP26 meeting held in Glasgow in November 2021. The talks were initiated by Pope Francis, who invited representatives of different faiths and several leading scientists of the world to come to the Vatican and speak with a united voice and urge the political leaders of the world, gathering in Glasgow, to take the climate catastrophe seriously, to rise above their narrow national interests and work together to protect our precious planet Earth, our common home.
Post in Dartington Trust: Satish Kumar discusses climate emergency with Pope at Vatican
2016 – 2022
Mahavir Janma Kalyanak Messages from Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue
Recent Vatican Publications
Sanghrajka, Mehool H. “Religious perspectives on pandemic and human suffering, a Jain perspective.” In Pro Dialogo, Bulletin 164, 2020/1, pp. 64 – 68.
(During the COVID-19 pandemic).
Sanghrajka, Mehool H. “The role of religions in promoting fraternal love and nonviolence for global harmony and peace: a Jain perspective.” In Pro Dialogo, Bulletin163, 2019/3, pp. 174 – 176. (On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi).
Posted By Kishor B Shah
On 18 November 2024
