Senior Vatican official sends Diwali greetings

The Vatican's inter-religious dialogue chief has sent greetings for the upcoming Diwali festival stressing the common humanity shared by Christians, Hindus and other religions, ethnicities and cultures.

"In a spirit of friendship, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue extends to you best wishes and cordial greetings," Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran said in a message."May God, the source of all light and life, illumine your lives and deepen your happiness and peace," he said.

Diwali, the Indian festival of lights beginning Sunday, symbolises the victory of good over evil, truth over falsehood, and life over death, the message recalled, adding that its roots lay in ancient mythology. 

The message urged Christians and Hindus to foster human relationships based on "friendship and solidarity".

"Regardless of our ethnic, cultural, religious and ideological differences, all of us belong to the one human family," it said.

"May we, Hindus and Christians, work individually and collectively, with all religious traditions and people of goodwill, to foster and strengthen the human family through friendship and solidarity," the message concluded.

Tauran is president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, the Vatican's inter-faith dialogue body.