Pope Francis met with this delegation of Buddhist monks from Thailand. They traveled to the Vatican to commemorate fifty years since the meeting between the 17th Buddhist patriarch, venerable Somdej Phra Wannarat, with Paul VI in 1972.
The Pope celebrated the friendly dialogue and collaboration between the two religions, and said that Catholics and Buddhists have much in common.
POPE FRANCIS
The Buddha and Jesus understood the need to overcome the ego which creates conflicts and violence.
The Pope asked them to continue joining their efforts to build a better world together.
POPE FRANCIS
It is our task today to guide our respective faithful to a living sense of the truth, that we are all brothers and sisters. And this entails that we have to work together to cultivate compassion and hospitality for all human beings. Especially for the poor and marginalized.
Pope Francis left them with a blessing, and the hope to extend their work together for another fifty years.
RM
TR: JM
