Ahead of the upcoming webinar centred on the Lambeth Call on Inter Faith, one of the speakers, Abigail Lizzi, a lay reader and representative of Inter Faith affairs in the Diocese of Buenos Aires, Argentina, shares her thoughts on the role of inter faith relations in her community and church.

How are you involved in interfaith relations in Argentina?

“The work of the Anglican Church in the north of our territory is noteworthy, through its Indigenous Mission, where a comprehensive mission is carried out alongside members of the Toba and Wichi indigenous communities. Not only is the Gospel of Jesus Christ brought to the community, but it is also embodied through a relationship based on respect for their cultures traditions and considering their needs, which in many cases are urgent and basic, and accompanying them in their growth in faith, transforming, with the power of the Word, the inner reality of each family, starting with its most vulnerable members.”

Why are inter faith relations important to you?

“Inter faith relations give us the opportunity to celebrate that commandment that has not yet been fulfilled since the Lord commissioned us at the Last Supper in the Gospel of John 17:21, ‘That they may be one, that the world may believe.’ When we approach our brothers and sisters of different faiths, we see different faces of the same Christ. In the multiform revelation of his wisdom and power, we see the reconciliation to which he called us, as his people, to be agents of his peace in the world. When we meet those of other faiths, we understand the value of our forms, liturgies and traditions more fully and are enriched by those other forms that, each in its historical and cultural journey, has constructed about God. The mystery of God is not exhausted in a single expression of faith; he is infinite.”

Why is it important for Anglicans to engage with other religions, and how does this enrich our own understanding of faith?

Abigail Lizzi describes the value of inter faith dialogues in enriching our own understanding of faith saying, “By engaging with, understanding and dialoguing with other religions, it takes us out of a place of arrogance and enables us to open our listening to other ways of approaching divinity. It helps us understand the needs of each of these world views, encouraging us to re-examine ourselves and the Word of God. We can ask ourselves, ”What does the Word say about this aspect of this religion? Is it compatible? Yes? No? How?’

“Above all, our commitment to other religions leads us as Anglicans to immerse ourselves even more deeply in the person of Jesus Christ, revealed throughout the biblical canon. We can explore the profound meaning of the incarnation and resurrection, ideas or theological principles that form part of our heritage of faith and that we must treasure as a gift from God. I find that this open-minded exploration enables us to live our Christian life in such a real, joyful and grateful way to this God who is so close to us.”

What do you think are the main challenges to the success of interfaith relations?

“The postmodern values that permeate societies globally can be positive or negative, depending on how we utilise them”, says Abigail Lizzi. “I consider them to be the greatest challenges to inter faith relationships. Postmodernism takes the form of a flexible, fragmented way of thinking in which it is extremely difficult to rise as the possessor of one truth. This can challenge us as Christians to reflect on the deepest values of that truth, represented fully in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, revealed in the Gospel and in its liberating practices. Observing the way the Lord Jesus Christ carried out His mission, it was essentially one of dialogue that respected his social environment, while at the same time fundamentally driven by the transformative force of that truth: abundant life.

“We must follow Jesus’ model: as a Jew, he went straight to the centre of their Law, quoting Deuteronomy and Leviticus, saying “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ (Matthew 22:37). This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”  He also maintained contact with people of other faiths, including Greeks, Romans and pagans, without subjugating them, but serving them.”

How does inter faith work enrich social cohesion or contribute to cultural understanding in its context?

Abigail Lizzi reflects that “In recent years, fundamentalist positions have been on the rise, perhaps as a reaction to so much cultural relativism. Interreligious work inspires social peace as a whole, because for centuries, religions have contributed to disputes, wars, deaths and atrocious injustices and human rights violations. If, as religious leaders, we can foster a perspective of compassion and reciprocity between our faiths and ways of seeing the world, we can be an example to other spheres of the social, political and economic spheres. Some truths transcend the Word of God and are present in other religions and ideologies. The dignity and equality between men and women, world peace and care for the earth and the cosmos are universal values common to all valid ethics of all times.”

What inspires you most about the Lambeth Inter Faith Call?

“The Lambeth Inter Faith Call has a solid foundation; it’s a thoughtful position and we work year after year to refine, build upon and strengthen it. The Call acknowledges how much remains to be done and is intentionally open to considering the diverse expressions of faith of people around the world. As an Argentine and Latin American, I have felt very comfortable and very well received by this particular commission, despite the cultural, linguistic, economic and social differences.”

Is there a Bible verse or story that inspires you to engage in interfaith dialogue?

“I was recently thinking about the text in Luke 11:33: ‘No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light’. Jesus Christ is Light from Light, and we cannot try to lock it away or place it beneath our way of believing in Him, because a light must be held high and not simply hidden so that only a few can see it. It might be that, by believing that we are “guarding” the light, we fail to fulfil its primary purpose, which is to make it known to all. As a light, there may be some or much of it in other religions outside of our Anglican Christianity.”

The Lambeth Interfaith Call (2.4) states that, “Whatever our context, our neighbours from other religious traditions are all in the image of God, and as Christians we are called to love others as ourselves”. Abigail Lizzi explains how this inspires her inter faith mission. “There is a biblical principle, expressed in a parable at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus says: ‘When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”’ (Matthew 25:39-40 NIV).

“Jesus Christ always makes himself present in the face of the other, of the neighbour, of those whose way of living and thinking is different. In these religious expressions, God’s truth can be found, and we must go as a Church to that encounter.”