VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Christians and Buddhists must be willing to work together to "bring a ray of hope to a desperate humanity," Pope Francis said.
Speaking to a delegation of Buddhist monks from the Wat Pho monastery in Bangkok, Thailand, May 27, the pope recalled the Buddhist-Christian colloquium which brought 150 participants from across Asia to Thailand in November 2023 to reflect on the theme of healing humanity and the earth.
"Today humanity and the earth, our common home, are indeed wounded!" he said during the meeting at the Vatican. "So many wars, so many people who have lost everything and have been forced to flee, so many children affected by violence."
Pope Francis noted that one of the outcomes of the colloquium was agreement on the need to work together in today's "interconnected and interdependent" society.
"In light of this truth, I urge you to work together with everyone: civil society, members of other religions, governments, international organizations, academic and scientific communities and all other interested parties to promote a friendship that sustains peace and fraternity and builds a more inclusive world," he said.
The pope also recalled his 2019 trip to Thailand and his meeting there with the supreme patriarch of Thailand's Buddhist community, Somdej Phra Maha Muneewong.
"The culture of encounter is possible, not only within our communities but also in our world, so prone to creating and spreading conflict and exclusion," the pope told the patriarch during their 2019 meeting. "When we have the opportunity to appreciate and esteem one another in spite of our differences, we offer a word of hope to the world, which can encourage and support those who increasingly suffer the harmful effects of conflict."
Caption: Pope Francis meets with a delegation of Buddhist monks from Thailand at the Vatican May 27, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)