Vatican urges Buddhists,
Christians to help eradicate corruption
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| Pope Francis at a meeting with Buddhist representatives in Yangon, Myanmar, November 29, 2017.(Vatican Media) |
In a message for Vesakh, the Pontifical Council for
Interreligious Dialogue analyses the causes and ill effects of corruption and
suggests ways to prevent and eradicate it.
The Vatican is inviting the world’s Buddhists and Christians
to work together to combat and prevent the “heinous crime” of corruption by
eradicating its underlying causes.
The Vatican’s Pontifical
Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) made the call in a message
released on Wednesday in view of the upcoming Buddhist festival
of Vesakh.
Sometimes informally called "Buddha's Birthday",
Vesakh actually commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama
Buddha, and is celebrated on different days in different countries.
“Corruption involving the abuse of positions of power for
personal gain, both within the public or private sectors, has become such
a pervasive scandal in today’s world that the United Nations
has designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day,” says the
message signed by PCID President Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, and
Secretary, Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot.
Pope Francis
The message recalls Pope Francis denouncing “the sin of corruption” in his prayer intention for the month of February, where he said that it is the poor who ultimately pay the price for corruption. According to the Holy Father, “the only road leading out of corruption … is service,” because corruption comes from pride, from arrogance, and service is humbling.
Buddhism against corruption
Commenting on the Buddhist teaching regarding the “social scourge”, the message for Vesakh points to “greed, hate and delusion or ignorance” as the “three principal toxins” that must be eliminated for the good of the individual and society. It also points to the second precept of Buddhism to “abstain from taking that which is not given.”
Call to action
PCID says that corruption leads to evils such as bad governance, pillaging of national assets, low economic growth, inflation, tax evasion, great inequality and the degradation of environment.
The Vesakh message thus calls on Buddhists and Christians to
combat the evil through concrete measures such as exposing corrupt
people and holding them accountable, creating public awareness
about fiscal integrity, encouraging more women in
politics and introducing transparent and inclusive institutions.
Please find below the full text of the message:
PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR
INTERRELIGIOUS
DIALOGUE
Christians and
Buddhists:
Preventing and
Combatting Corruption Together
MESSAGE FOR THE
FEAST OF VESAKH
2018
Vatican City
Dear Buddhist Friends,
1. On behalf of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious
Dialogue, we extend our warmest greetings and prayerful good wishes on the
occasion of Vesakh. May this feast bring joy and peace to all of you, your
families and your communities throughout the world.
2. We wish to reflect this year on the pressing need to
promote a culture free of corruption. Corruption involving the abuse of
positions of power for personal gain, both within the public or private
sectors, has become such a pervasive scandal in today’s world that the United
Nations has designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day. As the
phenomenon of corruption becomes more widespread, governments, non-governmental
organizations, the media, and citizens around the world are joining together to
combat this heinous crime. As religious leaders, we too must contribute to
fostering a culture imbued with lawfulness and transparency.
3. Pope Francis’ monthly prayer intention for February 2018
was “Say ‘No’ to Corruption.” In denouncing “the sin of corruption,” he
recognizes that corruption is found throughout the world among politicians,
business executives and clerics. Those who ultimately pay the price for
corruption, he observes, are the poor. Recalling the words of Jesus to his
disciples, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant”
(Matthew 20:26), the Pope insists, “the only road leading out of corruption […]
is service. Because corruption comes from pride, from arrogance, and service is
humbling: it is precisely the humble charity of helping others” (Morning
Meditation, Domus Santae Marthae, 16 June 2014).
4. Dear friends, as Buddhists, you regard corruption as an
unwholesome state of mind that causes suffering and contributes to an unhealthy
society. You identify three principal toxins – greed, hate, and delusion or
ignorance - as sources of this social scourge that must be eliminated for the
good of the individual and society. The Second Precept of Buddhism, “I
undertake to observe the precept to abstain
from taking that which is not given,” teaches Buddhists to
discern whether those things that come into their possession are indeed meant
for them. If such things have been taken from others illicitly, they may not
rightfully be kept. Buddhist teachings and practice not only disapprove of
corruption but also seek to transform the unhealthy state of mind, intentions,
habits and actions of those who are corrupt.
5. Even though, both our religious traditions firmly
denounce the evil of corruption, we sadly acknowledge that some of our
followers participate in corrupt practices and this leads to bad governance,
corporate bribery and the pillaging of national assets. Corruption puts lives
at risks for it is connected to low economic growth, weak investment,
inflation, monetary devaluation, tax evasion, great inequality, poor education,
sub-standard infrastructure, and the degradation of environment. It also
threatens the health and safety of individuals and communities. People are
scandalized by incompetent and corrupt politicians, ineffective legislation and
the failure to investigate major corruption cases. Populist movements,
sometimes motivated and sustained by religious fundamentalism, have arisen to
protest the breakdown of public integrity.
6. We believe that corruption cannot be answered with
silence, and that well-intentioned ideas will prove inadequate unless they are
applied, and that such implementation is necessary for corruption to be
eliminated. We Buddhists and Christians, rooted in our respective ethical
teachings, must work together to prevent corruption by eradicating its
underlying causes and to root out corruption where it exists. In this effort,
our main contribution will be to encourage our respective followers to grow in
moral integrity and a sense of fairness and responsibility. Our common
commitment to combating corruption must include cooperating with the media and
civil society in preventing and exposing corruption; creating public awareness
of corruption; holding white-collar criminals who plunder national assets
accountable for their actions, regardless of their ethnic, religious,
political, or class affiliations; teaching and inspiring all people, but
especially politicians and public servants, to act with the utmost fiscal
integrity; calling for due legal process to recover assets that are stolen
through corruption and bringing to justice those responsible for this crime:
encouraging more women to participate in politics: refusing to entrust with
public office those engaged in illegal activities; and introducing transparent
and inclusive institutions based on the rule of law for good governance,
accountability, and integrity.
7. Dear friends, may we actively commit ourselves to
fostering within our families, and social, political, civil, and religious
institutions an environment free of corruption by living a life of honesty and
integrity. It is in this spirit that we wish you once again a peaceful and
joyful feast of Vesakh!
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran
President
Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, MCCJ
Secretary
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