Washington D.C., Jun 2, 2017 / 10:02 am
Vatican experts on human development and social issues challenged Catholics around the world this week to respond with openness and a willingness to confront global issues in a truly Catholic manner.
In a meeting with reporters at Georgetown University, Cardinal Peter Turkson warned that when Catholics focus on national or regional identities first "and make that qualify Catholicism or Catholic teaching, there's a mighty good chance that we may be going in parallel lines and never meet."
The cardinal warned that Catholics from various regions of the world might lose sight of what's more important when placing these identities at the forefront, rather than the faith. "The thing that binds us, that makes us common is the fact of belonging to the Catholic faith," he stressed.
Cardinal Turkson, who serves as prefect for the Dicastery of Integral Human Development, was joined by Archbishop Silvano Maria Tomasi, former Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, in the May 31 meeting. There at Georgetown, they spoke with reporters about a range of challenges facing the Church and the West today, including climate change, migration, education, development and social cohesion.