Yesterday, 10 December 2019, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and the Office for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation (IRDC) of the World Council of Churches (WCC) held a meeting to reflect on and initiate their forthcoming joint project “Serving a Wounded Humanity: Towards Interreligious Solidarity”.

To facilitate a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the theme, a number of Catholic and Protestant experts and professionals, along with representatives from some of the Dicasteries of the Holy See and pontifical universities, the diplomatic corps, religious missionaries and Christian charities, were invited to the meeting.

Both the PCID and the IRDC of the WCC have a longstanding friendship and collaboration, and have together published documents that include the topics: interreligious marriage (1994-1997), interreligious prayer (1997-1998), African religiosity (2000-2004), Christian witness in a multi-religious world (2006-2011), and education for peace (2017-2019). The latter was officially released on 21 May this year in Geneva.

Yesterday’s “brainstorming meeting” is a first step towards a further reflection that will necessarily also include the participation of experts from other religious traditions.