S i g n i s I n d i a

BANGKOK, Thailand, July 9, 2010--The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue is organizing a meeting in Thailand next week with its Asian members and consultants.

The meeting is scheduled for July 12-18 at Baan Phu Waan Pastoral Center in Sam Phran, outside Bangkok. Thirty-six Church officials, mainly bishops, are expected to participate, including council president Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.

The bishops — from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam — are mostly heads of the episcopal commissions of interreligious dialogue in their own countries.

They are scheduled to report on three areas of dialogue in their own countries: “Christian Dialogue with Buddhists, Taoists, Confucianists and Shintoists,” “Christian Dialogue with Hindus, Sikhs and Jains,” and “Dialogue with Muslims.”

This is the fifth meeting of the pontifical council with its Asian consulters.

The first was in 1988, was also in Thailand.

Members of the council also visited Indonesia last year, from Nov. 24-Dec. 1, and met up with Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim leaders. (UCAN)