“The Vatican and Inter-Religious Diplomacy in Asia” was the subject of a two-day conference co-organised by the Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme and the Asia Research Institute (ARI) on 29 and 30 August 2024. The conference was inspired by Pope Francis’ September 2024 tour of Southeast Asia, including a visit to Singapore. The conference aimed to explore interfaith diplomacy, interreligious dialogue, and international relations from the perspective of the Vatican as well as the lived realities of Asian Catholics. It was a hybrid event with an in-person audience as well as hundreds of members of the public watching online.
Eight foreign speakers, including Monsignor Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage, Secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Inter-Religious Dialogue, and 10 Singapore-based speakers presented at the event. Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, Dean of RSIS, commenced proceedings with his opening remarks by highlighting the significance of the Vatican as both a state (as the Vatican City) and a religious authority (as the Holy See). Dr Michel Chambon of ARI discussed the historical Chinese Rites controversy which helped place Vatican diplomacy in historical context.
Professor Jack Meng-Tat Chia delivered a keynote speech on Buddhist diplomacy and interfaith engagement in Singapore, illustrating the role of religious diplomacy, based in a range of traditions, in bridging divides. The other keynote speech came from Professor Lai Pan-Chiu of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who spoke on the concept of “integral ecology” introduced by Pope Francis in his 2015 letter Laudato Si’.
Country-specific insights on the role of the Vatican in Asia were provided by speakers based in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. Other highlights of the speaker programme were a presentation by Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, Mufti of Singapore, on the role of religious leaders in building a harmonious society; and a presentation by Ms Janet Ang, Singapore’s non-resident ambassador to the Vatican, on national strategies for promoting inter-religious harmony.
On day 2 of the conference, Monsignor Indunil delivered a plenary address on the activities of the Vatican Dicastery for Inter-Religious Dialogue in nurturing inter-religious harmony in Asia.
In the afternoon, in-person attendees were invited to join learning visits to Novena Church and Ba’alwie Mosque to witness sites of inter-religious encounter for themselves and to develop a richer appreciation of the religious landscape in Singapore. Participants were provided with guided tours and the opportunity to ask questions to representatives from these sites.
By the end of the conference, participants had engaged with a wide range of academics and practitioners from across Asia on the subject of the Vatican and inter-religious diplomacy. Top-down and bottom-up perspectives came together to provide a rich picture bridging international relations and inter-religious relations.
