Vatican Greets Sikhs on Guru Nanak Jayanti, Urges Fraternity Among Religions

Vatican City, November 4, 2025: The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue extended its festive greetings and best wishes to Sikhs across the world as they celebrate the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji on 5 November 2025. The message expressed the Dicastery’s hope that the celebration would bring happiness, peace, unity, and solidarity within families and communities everywhere.

Recalling the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s groundbreaking document Nostra Aetate (28 October 1965), the Dicastery highlighted how this teaching gave fresh impetus to positive engagement among people of diverse religious traditions. The document encouraged unity and fraternity among peoples and nations, recognising that “one is the community of all peoples, one their origin… One also is their final goal, God.”

Nostra Aetate invited Christians to “recognise, preserve, and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values” found among followers of other religions. The Dicastery noted that the ongoing spirit of dialogue and cooperation between Christians and Sikhs is a cherished fruit of this teaching.

The message emphasised that promoting fraternity, as taught in Nostra Aetate, involves recognising that despite differences, all human beings are brothers and sisters under one Creator. It called for seeing the face of God in others, especially the poor, the refugee, the lonely, and even one’s enemies. Citing Fratelli Tutti (2020), it reiterated that genuine fraternity requires acknowledging the dignity of every person and fostering harmony amidst diversity.

“Our religious traditions teach us to live together in a spirit of solidarity and service,” the message stated, encouraging believers to practise “social friendship and human fraternity through both words and actions.” It quoted Pope Leo XIV, who reminded the faithful that witnessing fraternity “will certainly contribute to building a more peaceful world.”

The Dicastery also recognised the challenges of promoting fraternity in a world often marked by fear, division, and indifference. It urged collective and conscious efforts to form an “ark of fraternity” — uniting all people in harmony.

Families, described as the “wellspring of all fraternity” by Pope Francis, were commended for their role in fostering peace and love among members of society. The message also highlighted the role of religions, educational institutions, and the media in nurturing fraternity, countering negativity, and promoting truth and solidarity.

The Dicastery concluded by affirming that believers, grounded in their respective faiths, share a common responsibility to uphold humanity, justice, and peace. “May we, Sikhs and Christians together with people of other religions and all of goodwill, sow seeds and offer gestures of fraternity for the flourishing of social justice, moral welfare, peace, and freedom,” the message read.

The greeting ended with a warm wish:

“We wish you all a Happy Guru Nanak Prakash Diwas!”

By Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad

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