To the Representatives of Non-Christian Religions (24 February 1981)

On 24 February 1981, the Holy Father addressed the representatives of Non-Christian Religions. The Pope recognized their heritage of venerable wisdom, "but we Christians must also say that our faith is Jesus Christ.... Accordingly, we carry his name and his message of joy to all peoples, and while we sincerely honor their cultures and traditions, we respectfully invite them to listen to him and open their hearts to him."

Dear friends , 

1. You have done me the honor of coming to meet me personally during my short but intense visit to your country, of incomparable beauty in all its parts, a beauty that manifests the divine presence hidden in every visible creature. And even more I find in the virtues of courtesy and goodness, discretion, kindness and fortitude inculcated by your religious traditions the fruits of the Divine Spirit which according to our faith is "a friend of men", "fills the universe" , “embracing all things” ( Wis 1,6-7). 

Consequently, I address you with the same words that were used by Saint Paul, the first great traveler and universal herald of the Christian faith: “Our mouth has spoken to you frankly... our heart has been opened completely for you. You are indeed not straitened in us" (2 Cor6,11-12). You know the sentiments expressed by the Catholic Church, especially by the Second Vatican Council, regarding the great religious traditions of humanity, traditions in which you are the eminent representatives in Japan. You know these feelings well, since you have experienced their putting into practice, and the most recent proof is my presence among you today. Even before the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church showed its attention for you. Since the Council, thanks to the worthy efforts of many individuals and bodies, including the Secretariat for Non-Christians in Rome, relations between us have been so developed and intensified that it can be said that you who are here today have been almost everyone in the Vatican – even more than once – to meet my predecessor Paul VI or me. 

2. It is a joy, as well as a duty for me, to remember here the warm and friendly figure of the late Cardinal Sergio Pignedoli and his great love for you, and that you reciprocated with affection and courtesy. I am sure, that he is in spirit with us at this time. I must also express my gratitude to you because you show such esteem for the Catholic Church in Japan and for your willingness to work together with it, and I am pleased that Catholics, for their part, actively collaborate with you. 

3. What can the Pope, who comes from Rome, say to you on his first visit to this renowned Eastern country? You are the heirs and guardians of a venerable wisdom. This wisdom has inculcated high levels of moral life in Japan and the East. He taught you to venerate the “pure, clear and honest heart” (“akaku, kijoku, naoki, kokoro”). He inspired you to see the divine presence in every creature, and especially in every human being. He instilled in you “self-sacrifice and service to others as the pinnacle of friendship and compassion,” to use the words of your great master Saicho. It would take me too long to list all the spiritual values ​​of which you are the guardians and teachers. As spiritual head of the Catholic Church, as a disciple of Christ and as his Vicar, I express to you the fullness of my joy because God has poured these gifts upon you and because you manifest them with full and civil freedom. The words of the Bible are true: the Wisdom of God has enclosed the vault of heaven and walked at the bottom of the abyss. Over the waves of the sea and over the whole earth, over every people and nation he has taken dominion (cf.Sir 24.5-6), “setting his delights among the sons of men” ( Pr 8.31). Consequently, Christians feel a special obligation to apply the words of Jesus who says: "Whoever is not against us is for us" ( Mk 9.40; cf. Lk 9.50). 

4. Yes, indeed in many things you are already with us. But we Christians must also say that our faith is Jesus Christ; it is Jesus Christ that we proclaim. We will say even more, repeating the words of Saint Paul: "For I thought I knew nothing else among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Cor 2:2) - Jesus Christ who was also resurrected for salvation and the happiness of all humanity (cf. 1 Cor3.20pm). Accordingly, we carry his name and his message of joy to all peoples, and while we sincerely honor their cultures and traditions, we respectfully invite them to listen to him and open their hearts to him. When we enter into dialogue, it is in order to bear witness to the love of Christ or, in concrete terms, "to promote unity and charity between individuals and between peoples, meditating first and foremost on what we have in common and on that which tends to promote admirable knowledge among us” (cf. Nostra aetate , 1). The message of Christ that is proclaimed by the Church is centered on love for man: this is the great precept of Christ, the fullness of perfection. By "man" we mean the one who is our neighbor, the person who is formed under his mother's heart. 

5. In our commitment to man, we Christians are willing and ready to collaborate with you in defense of human dignity, his innate rights, the sacredness of his life even in the mother's womb, his freedom and his self-determination individual level and at the level of society, its moral education and the primacy of its spiritual dimension. As religious, we must pay particular attention to promoting cordial social relationships and adopting a lifestyle marked by personal sobriety and sincere respect for the beauty of the world in which we live. This is our duty more than ever today, when humanity finds itself having to face growing threats from materialistic ideologies and forms of industrialism that could deprive man of his dignity. I know that for this purpose dialogue and collaboration have begun both in Japan and in Rome, between the Catholic Church and the religious bodies that you represent. And I once again express my thanks for the respect and trust that you have so clearly shown towards the Pope and the Catholic Church in Japan. The Church, for her part, through dialogue becomes more and more Catholic - more and more universal - and this is in accordance with her nature and with her mission to proclaim and bear witness to the love of Christ for every being human. And I once again express my thanks for the respect and trust that you have so clearly shown towards the Pope and the Catholic Church in Japan. The Church, for her part, through dialogue becomes more and more Catholic - more and more universal - and this is in accordance with her nature and with her mission to proclaim and bear witness to the love of Christ for every being human. And I once again express my thanks for the respect and trust that you have so clearly shown towards the Pope and the Catholic Church in Japan. The Church, for her part, through dialogue becomes more and more Catholic - more and more universal - and this is in accordance with her nature and with her mission to proclaim and bear witness to the love of Christ for every being human. 

6. I would like to say more, but human language is sometimes so limited and difficult. However, I know that you understand the heart. And the aspirations of our hearts point in the same direction. And so I say to you: may the Spirit and love of Christ be with you all! 

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