‘Ramadan’ is a call to strengthen trust, solidarity: missionary priest in Philippines

A priest who promotes interreligious dialogue in the southern Philippines says, Ramadan (the holy month of fasting) in Islam is an invitation to strengthen trust and solidarity among various communities.

Father Sebastiano D'Ambra, a member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME), founded the Islamic-Christian Dialogue “Silsilah” (an Arabic word meaning chain, link, and connection) Movement in Zamboanga, the southern Philippines in 1984.

Founded in 1850 in the small town of Saronno, near Milan, Italy by Servant of God Bishop Angelo Ramazzotti, PIME is a congregation in the Catholic Church that includes priests and brothers who commit themselves to lifelong missionary service, especially to non-Christians.

Father D'Ambra is also the executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) - Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue.

“This year, the month of Ramadan in the Philippines coincides with the period of national and local elections to be held on May 9. We also live it in conjunction with the alarming period of war in Ukraine and other parts of the world,” said D'Ambra, an Italian Missionary priest who arrived in the Philippines in 1977. 

He spends most of his missionary life in Mindanao (southern Philippines) giving special attention to dialogue with Muslims in many ways. 

“Together, Christians and Muslims, as part of the same human family, are called to respond to the signs of the times that invite us to overcome the divisions and conflicts accumulated over the centuries. Today we are called to respect each other even if we belong to different religions and cultures,” he added.

Ramadan which started on April 2, and will end on May 2, highlights, on the occasion of the holy month of Islamic fasting, the message spread by the international "Silsilah" movement.

"Ramadan is a special time of fasting for a journey of purification, with some obligations such as fasting from eating and drinking during the day, prayer, and charity. It is truly a great lesson for we all give more time for a journey of purification which in Islam is identified as the "Great Jihad" (Inner struggle and purification of the heart),” the priest explained. 

“There is a tendency to build dialogue and peace based on similarities, especially between Christians and Muslims. We have something in common, but the true dialogue is also based on respect for differences of faith and the promotion of our faith, with the witness of life respecting the faith of others", which excludes attempts to "proselytize" or to convert members of one religion to another, D'Ambra said.

Through many activities undertaken by the “Silsilah” Movement, the Islamic-Christian Dialogue has helped people in the region better understand.

“It is time for all of us to deepen our faith, understand our identity and love our faith, at the same time to respect the faith of others.

Therefore, we are called to internalize more the essential part of our faith and be open to dialogue, and also accept differences. This is the real dialogue that Silsilah promotes,” points out D'Ambra.

The Silsilah Movement promotes peace initiatives as well.

“We continue to promote a culture of peace and dialogue based on the four pillars— dialogue with God, dialogue with oneself, dialogue with others, and dialogue with creation,” he said. 

The path of dialogue "is a path of spirituality that calls us to follow and live our faith. Guided by this spirit we try to invite many people to consider the importance of the 'culture of dialogue' which must reach the level of spirituality to reach together a vision of peace,” D'Ambra said.

According to him, “In the spirit of building human fraternity and the common good, the peace of the heart is the heart of peace,” he added. 

"This is our wish for the Muslim Ummah (community) in this period of Ramadan. We also hope that Muslims will stand up and raise their voices against those who use Islam for their own sake. It will help to create a better spirit of friendship and trust. We cannot allow terrorism and violence to continue to act in the name of religion. This is always the temptation, even for other religions today,” the priest noted.

During the period of Ramadan, the initiatives of solidarity between Christians and Muslims in the Philippines, in the spirit of sharing and friendship, are "a good sign of hope,” D'Ambra said.