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Leo XIV-led Vatican sends Diwali message to Hindus - Stone - 11-03-2026
Leo XIV-led Vatican sends Diwali message to Hindus
The Vatican extended its ‘warmest prayerful and festive wishes’ to Hindus on Diwali
The Vatican extended its ‘warmest prayerful and festive wishes’ to Hindus on Diwali
while suggesting the ‘spirit of Assisi’ could help Christians and Hindus ‘forge pathways of peace’ together.
![[Image: Shutterstock_2416146333.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Shutterstock_2416146333.jpg)
Giant golden statue of Hindu god Lord Murugan
Paul Maguire/Shutterstock
Nov 2, 2026
(LifeSiteNews [adapted - not all hyperlinks included from original]) — The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue (DID) under Pope Leo XIV on Friday published a special message to Hindus ahead of their Diwali holiday next week, stressing the Vatican’s commitment to peace “in the spirit of Assisi.”
In its October 30 message, published the day before Allhallowtide and signed by Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad and Monsignor Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage – prefect and secretary of the DID, respectively – the dicastery offered its “warmest prayerful and festive wishes” to Hindus who will celebrate the Diwali “festival of lights.” The dicastery also emphasized its commitment to fraternity and interreligious peace “in the spirit of Assisi.”
“The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue extends its warmest prayerful and festive wishes to you as you celebrate Deepavali on 8 November this year. May God, the fount of all that is good, bless you, your families, loved ones and communities with abundant joy, peace and prosperity!” the message stated.
The dicastery highlighted how just over 40 years ago the first Assisi “World Day of Prayer for Peace” took place, calling it “a historic encounter, in which people of various religions came together to pray, convinced that religions and interreligious solidarity can help address global crises and promote peace.” They added that Pope John Paul II called this the “spirit of Assisi.”
“In the face of the many challenges facing humanity today, especially those arising from wars, conflicts, and the use of religion for political ends, the commemoration of the 1986 Assisi gathering offers us the opportunity to reflect with you on how Hindus and Christians can forge pathways of peace together, drawing inspiration from the spirit of Assisi,” the dicastery wrote.
“One such pathway is to come together to pray with a shared spiritual commitment to peace, each according to his or her own religious tradition, while respecting that of the other. Indeed, genuine prayer overcomes differences and disarms hearts, minds and lives, transforming us into men and women of compassion and peace,” it added.
Contrary to the tone of the dicastery’s message, the Catholic Church teaches that it is the one true Church founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the one true God. Sacred Scripture also states that the “gods” worshipped by members of false religions are “devils.”
Furthermore, the DID’s message implies that true peace can be achieved through interreligious dialogue, whereas the perennial teaching of the Church is that true peace is achieved through Christ alone.
The message came within a week of the Vatican’s international ecumenical meeting commemorating the 40th anniversary of the first interfaith “World Day of Prayer for Peace” in Assisi.
During that meeting, the female Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, scandalously processed and offered prayers alongside Catholic Cardinals Kurt Koch, president of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and Matteo Zuppi, ecclesiastical assistant to the Community of Sant’Egidio. In another scandal, the meeting also included a Jewish rabbi who told Vatican News that “God can be found outside the Catholic Church.”
Perhaps worst of all, in a video address to the meeting, Pope Leo also avoided speaking about the need to evangelize the world and instead focused on a supposed need for dialogue, seemingly among equals.
“The world needs dialogue,” Leo said. “The path of Assisi calls religious leaders to foster a climate of dialogue amongst the faithful and within society, so that the language of arrogance may give way to the language of peace, negotiation and understanding. This will help to “gradually (lead) humanity away from the cycle of violence.”