Another inter-faith dialogue between Christians and Hindus soon

Another inter-faith dialogue between Hindus and Christians is soon to be underway in Mumbai.

Following the June 12 meet this year, the two major religious groups are to come to the table again on January 2010, bringing to talks various issues that had past soured the relationship yielding to communal disharmony and tension.

Unlike the previous, the upcoming conference will be diverse as it also includes Protestant and Pentecostal groups apart from Catholics.

Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, head of the Vatican's Pontificial Council of Inter-religious dialogue, will lead the talks. Prominent Hindus including Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt, Sri Jayendra Saraswati is to participate in this dialogue.

During the earlier Catholic-Hindu dialogue, religious conversion and Kandhamal violence took the center stage among others.

The two-day meet condemned forced conversions and sought an assurance from the Church to halt such activities. The Catholic Church, however, made it then clear that it was against any sort of forced conversions and called such acts unethical and invalid.

A press statement released by Shankaracharya also had criticised Christians for using foreign funds for conversions and demanded it be disapproved and used for running educational and charity projects.

He also had objected to the visit of U.S Commission on Religious Freedom to India.

The June meet was also attended by other personalities like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Mumbai Archbishop Cardinal Oswald Gracias and Cardinal Jean Louis.