MESSAGE FOR THE FEAST OF HANA MATSURI IN JAPAN 8 April 2018

PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

Facing the Crisis of Natural Resources: Buddhists and Christians CooperatingFor a Life of Sobriety and Sharing

Vatican City

Dear Buddhist Friends in Japan,

In a spirit of friendship and with a sense of shared common values, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue once again joyfully wishes all Buddhists of Japan a fruitful celebration of “Hanamatsuri,” the Buddha’s Birthday, on the 8^th of April.We would like to take this opportunity to offer you some reflections in view of a closer and better partnership at the service of all human beings.

We all realize that our world today faces many problems related to justice and peace. One such cultural and spiritual malady is the plunder of the world’s natural resources and the subsequent ecological crisis. Since social injustice and environmental injustice are closely related, our interdependence requires us to work together for ‘eco-justice’ – justice for the whole ecosystem, human as well as non-human.

Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Exhortation Laudato si’, emphasizes that “A true ‘ecological debt’ exists, particularly between the global north and south, connected to commercial imbalances with effects on the environment, and the disproportionate use of natural resources by certain countries over long periods of time” (n. 51). He further notes that “In different ways, developing countries, where the most important reserves of the biosphere are found, continue to fuel the development of richer countries at the cost of their own present and future” (n. 52). With regard to multinational businesses, which operate in less developed countries in harmful ways, Laudato si’ notes that “Generally, after ceasing their activity and withdrawing, they leave behind great human and environmental liabilities such as unemployment, abandoned towns, the depletion of natural reserves, deforestation, the impoverishment of agriculture and local stock breeding, open pits, riven hills, polluted rivers and a handful of social works which are no longer sustainable” (n. 51).

Two fundamental spiritual insights of Lord Buddha and Jesus Christ are the need for sobriety in human life and the importance of sharing human goods. Buddhism speaks of sobriety and generosity in understanding, thought, action, speech, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration. Laudato si points out that “Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little. […] This implies avoiding the dynamic of dominion and the mere accumulation of pleasures” (n. 222).

An economic policy egotistically centred on profit rather than on the human person and a lifestyle marked by waste and luxury have contributed mightily to the depletion of the world’s natural resources. Religions have a significant role to play in countering these harmful developments by promoting a lifestyle marked by moderation and an attitude of sharing built on love and compassion.

May the celebration of our feasts and anniversaries be an occasion for us to continue to pursue these noble values. Together we can help people recognize that it is not economic profit as such but shared progress in the acquisition and use of material goods, along with efforts to secure the true prosperity and wellbeing of all human beings that will bring about lasting peace and a truly human society.

Dear Buddhist friends, in this spirit allow us to express our cordial greetings anew and to wish Happy Hana Matsuri to you all!

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran
President

Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ
Secretary