It is my deep-rootedness in Christian faith that enables me to be inclusive. And this is not exclusivity: it is a partial closing, which is necessary in order to be fully open. God is not just transcendent; but is also immanent in the universe.
Paulos Mar Gregorios
To Be Fully Open
Topic: Interfaith Pathways
“I see the whole of humanity in the context of my Christianness. It is my deep-rootedness in Christian faith that enables me to be inclusive. And this is not exclusivity: it is a partial closing, which is necessary in order to be fully open. God is not just transcendent; but is also immanent in the universe. The otherness and the oneness have to be kept in dialectical tension.”
Paulos Mar Gregorios, born Paul Varghese or Vargīsa Pôla (9 August 1922–24 November 1996), was the first Metropolitan of the Delhi diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and served for over two decades.
The Christian Heritage
Bryant, M. Darrol., et al. Assembly of the World's Religions, 1985: Spiritual Unity and the Future of the Earth: a Report. International Religious Foundation, 1986, pp. 169-175 [Metropolitan Paulos Mar Gregorios, The Christian Heritage].
Paulos Mar Gregorios
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Metropolitan Paulos Mar Gregorios
“The fourth major thing that we have to do is to overcome the exclusive/inclusive dichotomy among world religions. What is the peculiar heritage of West Asian religions? Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are religions in which God is regarded as absolutely transcendent. We have made a claim for ourselves as a chosen people over against the rest of the world. This exclusivism is perhaps a peculiarity of West Asian religion, which my East Asian friends do not always understand. And when they want us to adopt their more inclusive point of view, I would like to say: not so fast. Let us see where the two views meet, because the exclusive is also an essential aspect of my consciousness. I cannot simply say the whole of humanity without distinctions. I see the whole of humanity in the context of my Christianness. It is my deep-rootedness in Christian faith that enables me to be inclusive. And this is not exclusivity: it is a partial closing, which is necessary in order to be fully open. God is not just transcendent; but is also immanent in the universe. The otherness and the oneness have to be kept in dialectical tension.”
— Metropolitan Paulos Mar Gregorios [Assembly of the World’s Religions 1985 (Paragon House)] pp. 174-175.
Pope Francis
“A clear sense of one’s own identity and a capacity for empathy are the point of departure for all dialogue.”
— Pope Francis [Meeting with the Asian Bishops at the Shrine of Haemi (2014a:16)].