Interreligious and ecumenical dialogue at the WYD in Cologne

On the occasion of the WYD in Cologne, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Jews, the Muslims and the Protestants. In each of his declarations, he made reference to the heritage of Vatican II Council and of his predecessor, John Paul II.

Besides this filiation which the pope himself claimed, we can notice that in each of his speeches he adopted a ternary plan which already was John Paul II’s in his speech on the occasion of his visit to the synagogue of Rome in 1986: 1. A reminder of the texts of Vatican II which authorize ecumenical and interreligious dialogue; 2. A rejection of syncretism but also of proselytism in the name of liberty of conscience; 3. An invitation to collaborate on the level of ethics in the name of the dignity of the human person.