“Flexibility and friendship”: Pope approves note on interreligious dialogue

Pope Leo XIV with Blue Mosque imam Qurra Hafiz Fatih Kaya. Photo: Getty Images

The Vatican has released a joint document by three dicasteries calling for a “new ethic of dialogue” and greater cooperation with representatives of other religions, EWTN News reports.

The document, titled “A Journey of Hope: Sixty Years of Interreligious Dialogue and Fraternity in the Light of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate,” was approved by Pope Leo XIV on June 22, 2026. It was prepared by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

“In stark contrast to those rigid attitudes that seek to resolve conflicts by force, it is time to promote a new ethic of dialogue.” The document’s authors propose fostering a culture of “complexity, flexibility, and friendship.” The faithful and religious leaders are urged not to fear or keep their distance from the "other believer" – another civilization, another way of thinking – but "dare the encounter.”

The Vatican stressed that genuine dialogue requires a fundamental shift in mindset – “abandoning the logic of defensiveness, hostility, or conquest in order to adopt an attitude that is open, benevolent, and courageous.”

The document calls for moving beyond declarations about the importance of dialogue and putting it into practice, beginning with religious education. To this end, the Vatican proposes updating curricula at seminaries and theological institutes to give seminarians greater knowledge of other religions, the history of interreligious relations, and geopolitical developments.

As the UOJ reported, the Pope earlier called on Christians and Muslims to work together to “revive humanity.”

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