Pope Francis once highlighted Sree Narayana Guru's message of universal unity

Thiruvananthapuram: Pope Francis, who often became the voice of the downtrodden, had once acknowledged Kerala's religious harmony by honouring social reformer Sree Narayana Guru. He recalled that Guru’s message of universal human unity remained relevant in a time when hatred was on the rise. The Pope made the remarks during an event organised by Sivagiri Madhom at the Vatican in December 2024 to commemorate the centenary of the Guru’s historic all-religion conference in Ernakulam.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, passed away on Monday. He was 88 and had recently survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.

During his address, the Pope had said that the Guru’s message was especially relevant in today's world, where incidents of hatred and intolerance were increasing. He noted that the failure to follow the core values of religion had contributed to many of the world’s problems.

The Guru, he explained, had spent his life promoting social change and spiritual awareness by spreading the idea that all human beings—regardless of their background—are part of one human family.

“He insisted that there should be no discrimination against anyone in any way and at any level,” the Pope had said. “Sadly, displays of discrimination and exclusion, tensions and violence-based differences of ethnic or social origin, race, colour, language and religion are a daily experience of many individuals and communities, most especially among the poor, the powerless and those without a voice.”

The Pope also referred to the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, which he had signed with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, in 2019. “We stated that God has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers and sisters,” he said.

He had stressed that the failure to live by religious values was partly responsible for the current global unrest. He urged people to embrace unity in diversity and act as peacemakers, even when faced with challenges.

Referring to the Joint Declaration of Istiqlal made in September 2024, the Pope said, “As followers of our respective religious traditions, we ought always to cooperate with all people of good will in promoting ‘a culture of respect, dignity, compassion, reconciliation and fraternal solidarity.” The event, supported by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, was attended by several well-known religious leaders from Kerala.