Vatican City, Oct 29, 2021 / 12:00 pm
One day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet Pope Francis, the Vatican released a message to Hindus that referred to the divisive nature of “hyper-nationalism.”
The message from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, published on Oct. 29, was addressed to Hindus on the occasion of the feast of Diwali, also known as Deepavali.
Diwali is one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism. The “festival of lights” will be celebrated this year on Nov. 4.
The Vatican’s interreligious dialogue council sends a message for this Hindu feast every year. But this year was the first time in recent years that the message also included a reference to “religious fundamentalism, terrorism, hyper-nationalism, xenophobia.”