Witnesses of Mercy for Peace and Reconciliation

7 greater is the need for the Church to utter this word, not only in her own name but also in the name of all the men and women of our time” (John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Dives in Misericordia , y. 1980, n. 15). Last year we celebrated in this University the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate (October 28, 1965). This document, still timely and inspiring, is a milestone in the evolution of interreligious dialogue, reminding us that: “In our time, when day by day mankind is being drawn closer together, and the ties between different peoples are becoming stronger, the Church examines more closely her relationship to non-Christian religions. In her task of promoting unity and love among men, indeed among nations, she considers above all in this declaration what men have in common and what draws them to fellowship” ( Nostra Aetate , 1). It is sincerely desired that interreligious dialogue be based on mutual respect and thus establish bonds of true friendship between men and women belonging to different religious traditions. In order to be good believers, there needs to be an open and respectful attitude towards our neighbours, irrespec- tive of the religious tradition to which they belong. This morning many of us were present at the Interre- ligious Audience in the Vatican Sala Clementina, where HH Pope Francis urged us again to build bridges of friendship and dialogue and to go out and walk along the path of mercy together with our neighbours of dif- ferent faiths. This symposium should be lived precisely in this spirit: that is, a call to look at what we share together with believers of other religions learning from one another what we can do to live together our common destiny. This is going to be a time of dialogue and sharing of the most authentic and intimate desire of the human person: peace and reconciliation and how to achieve them through mercy. Once again, I want to convey to each and every one of you the best wishes of the Pontifical Council for Interre- ligious Dialogue, whose vocation is to welcome different cultures and faiths, and to foster dialogue in order to generate fruits of peace for a better future for all. His Excellency Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, mccj HE Bishop Ayuso is Titular Bishop of Luperciana and Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He has always been active in interreligious dialogue, teaching in both Cairo and Rome as well as writing several important publications on issues related to Christian-Muslim dialogue. As a priest he worked in the local Church in Egypt and Sudan from 1982 to 2002. Career summary v Ordained Bishop, Titular See of Luperciana by Pope Francis, 2016 v Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, 2012–present v President of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI), 2005–2012 v Awarded a PhD in Theology by the Faculty of Theology of Granada, Spain, 2000 v Served as parish priest in Sacred Heart Parish in Abbassiyya/Cairo as well as director of the Pastoral, Liturgical and Catechetical Centre of El Obeid Diocese/Sudan, 1982–2002 v Member of the Comboni Missionaries. Pictured opposite: HE Bishop Ayuso addressing the symposium during his opening speech INTRODUCTORY WORDS