BANGKOK, Nov 22 (TNA) – To promote interreligious
dialogue, Pope Francis on Friday met religious leaders at Bangkok’s,
Chulalongkorn University, conveying a message for interfaith cooperation and
mutual respect.
In his address to the gathering at Thailand’s most
prestigious university, Pope Francis said cooperation was needed more than ever
in a world filled with complex challenges.
We needed mutual respect, esteem and cooperation between
religions “in a spirit of fraternal solidarity that can help end the many
present-day forms of slavery, especially the scourge of human trafficking,”
said Pope Francis.
The Pope said today’s world faced complex challenges “such
as economic and financial globalization and the tragic persistence of civil
conflicts resulting in movements of migration, refugees, famine and war.”
Again, the Pontiff called for mercy for the poor, saying
“all of us are called not only to heed the voice of the poor in our midst: the
disenfranchised, the downtrodden, the indigenous peoples and religious
minorities, but also to be unafraid to create opportunities.”
Speaking of Chulalongkorn University, Pope Francis said
“research and knowledge can help to open new paths for reducing human
inequality, strengthening social justice, upholding human dignity, seeking
means for the peaceful resolution of conflicts, and preserving the life-giving
resources of our earth.”
The University was founded in 1917 by King Chulalongkorn or
King Rama V who, in 1897, visited Pope Leo XIII in the Vatican.
To conclude the first papal visit to Thailand in 35 years,
Pope Francis later celebrated a Holy Mass at the Cathedral of the Assumption
with about 1,500 Christian youths from across Thailand.
On Saturday, Pope Francis will depart Thailand and continue
his 32nd trip of his pontificate trip to Japan. (TNA)
