At 9.00 this morning, at Santa Marta, the Holy Father Francis received in audience a delegation of the Dharmic Religions.

The following are the words of greeting the Pope addressed to those present:

Greeting of the Holy Father

Dear Friends,

I greet all of you who met for the Conference “Dharma and Logos – Dialogue and Cooperation in a Complex Age”, held yesterday in Rome. I am most appreciative of the efforts of those who made possible this initiative, which brought together Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs.

Dialogue and cooperation are essential at a time like our own, when complex and unprecedented factors have led to increased tensions and conflicts, accompanied by violence on both a small and a large scale. It is a cause for thanksgiving to God when religious leaders actively foster a culture of encounter by offering an example of fruitful dialogue and by working together effectively in the service of life, human dignity and the care of creation.

I thank you for what you have done by coming together, in accordance with your respective religious traditions, to promote goodness in our world, and upon you and your communities I invoke an abundance of divine blessings.