Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, newly appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, told Vatican News in an interview about his continuing mission to organize the Apostolic Journeys of Pope Francis.
"I feel wonder, joy, and great trepidation for the immense responsibility of succeeding a wise and kind man like Cardinal Ayuso, and a man of profound faith and tireless peacebuilder like Cardinal Tauran," said the Indian-born Cardinal Koovakad.
The Dicastery fosters relations with members and groups of religions not under the Christian name, except Judaism, which falls under the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.
Koovakad said he is grateful to Pope Francis for the unexpected assignments from the Pope. Before the Dicastery, only in less than two months, he was included in the College of Cardinals and then appointed Archbishop.
He said that while he felt some inadequacy, he counted on the guidance of Pope Francis, the path of those who preceded him, prayers of those who continue to dream of a world where religious differences not only coexist peacefully but become essential elements in building peace among peoples, as well as the Dicastery’s collaborators.
Koovakad was born 51 years ago in Chethipuzha, Kerala in India, a multicultural and multi-religious society where all religions are respected and harmony is preserved, and where interreligious dialogue in India is traditionally linked to monasticism.
He emphasized the attitude of openness, sympathy, and closeness to other traditions. He said interreligious dialogue is between believers called to bear witness to the beauty of believing in God and practising fraternal charity and respect.
As to the Islamic world, Koovakad said the Second Vatican Council marked the beginning of a new era in relations with other religions, including Islam.
He cited St. John Paul II in his message to Muslim youth in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1985, when said, "We believe in the same God… the God who creates worlds and brings His creatures to perfection.”
Koovakad said the pope’s journeys almost always have interreligious dimensions, encounters with authorities of other faiths, and moments of lived fraternity.
He mentioned the beautiful experience a few months earlier in Mongolia, where only 1.3% of the population is Christian, as well as the Apostolic Visits to Kazakhstan and Bahrain.
While the context of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue is new to him, he said he believes the experience he has gained and will continue to gain in the Journeys Office has been and will remain valuable.
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