CBCP - Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue

30/08/2026

Invitation Letter- Mindanao IRD coordinators on Ocober 13-14, 2026 at YOuth and and Fami;ly Center, Tamonontaka, Dinaig, Maguindanao

EPISCOPAL COMMISSION ON INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE (ECID)
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
CBCP Secretariat, Intramuros, Manila, Philippines

August 30, 2026

To: All Mindanao Interreligious Dialogue Coordinators, Focal Persons, and Peace Partners
Subject: Invitation to the Second Mindanao Interreligious Dialogue Coordinators’ Gathering on October 13-14, 2026 (Arrival is Oct 13, before lunch and Departure is Oct 14, after Lunch)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Mission of Peace,
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
Peace and grace be with you!
As the Chairman of the CBCP -ECID, it is my distinct honor and joy to warmly invite you to the Second Mindanao Interreligious Dialogue Coordinators’ Gathering. This significant event will take place on October 13-14, 2026 at the OMI Spiritual Center (Retreat House) - Youth & Family Center, located in Barangay Tamontaka, Datu Odin Sinsuat (Dinaig), Maguindanao del Norte.
Our gathering comes at a crucial time when our shared commitment to solidarity, healing, and mutual respect is more vital than ever. By coming together in the heart of Maguindanao, we reaffirm our dedication to building bridges across diverse faith communities and fostering a culture of peace throughout Mindanao.

Objectives of the Gathering
This assembly is designed as a collaborative workspace and spiritual sanctuary to accomplish the following goals:
• Mindanao Week of Peace 2026. Prepare for the MWOP celebration
• Evaluate and Consolidate: Assess the progress, challenges, and milestones achieved since our inaugural dialogue assembly.
• Map Local Frameworks: Identify emerging regional peace priorities and contextual pastoral needs unique to our Mindanao communities.
• Harmonize Peace Initiatives: Align diocesan and regional interreligious programs with the national roadmap of the CBCP ECID.
• Strengthen Kinship: Cultivate deeper bonds of spiritual companionship and mutual trust among coordinators.
Please confirm your attendance on or before October 7, 2026 by contacting the ECID Secretariat at [email protected] /09176207142, so we can finalize local food and accommodation arrangements.
Let us walk together in faith, transforming our shared hopes into concrete works of justice, reconciliation, and peace. I look forward to welcoming each of you personally to Tamontaka.

In Christ, our Peace,
+ Most Rev. Jose Colin M. Bagaforo, D.D.
Bishop of Kidapawan
Chairman, CBCP Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue7

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14/08/2026

14/08/2026

28/10/2025

LIVE | Pope Leo XIV takes part in the commemoration of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate from Paul VI Hall. In his address — the most anticipated momen...

28/10/2025

NOSTRA AETATE 60TH ANNIVERSARY | OCTOBER 28TH 2025 II

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Press Release of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, 23.10.2025

Press release of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue
and the Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism

Walking Together in Hope:

60th Anniversary of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra Aetate

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration Nostra Aetate on the Church’s relations with non-Christian religions, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism are organizing a special event called, Walking Together in Hope, which will take place on 28 October 2025, from 18.30 to 20.00, in the Paul VI Hall.

The evening will be an opportunity to celebrate six decades of dialogue, friendship and cooperation among followers of the world’s religions, inspired by the Declaration Nostra Aetate, one of the most groundbreaking documents of the Second Vatican Council. It will also reaffirm the call for peace, justice and human fraternity in an age marked by divisions and conflicts.

Leaders and representatives of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism and traditional African religions will gather together with members of the Roman Curia, the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, Catholic delegates engaged in interreligious dialogue, scholars, interreligious networks and young people from around the world. The program will include music, personal testimonies and cultural performances celebrating unity amidst diversity.

The highlight of the event will be the address by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, followed by a silent prayer for peace. The meeting will give new impetus to the shared mission of planting seeds of dialogue and hope for future generations.

On 29 October 2025, the Holy Father’s General Audience will also be dedicated to the Declaration Nostra Aetate and interreligious dialogue, in the presence of numerous religious leaders.

These events are open to the public and will be broadcast live by Vatican Media. For admission tickets to the event on 28 October, which are free (subject to availability), please apply no later than 27 October 2025 to the following email address: [email protected].

Audiences
Resignations and Appointments
Notice of Briefing
Holy See Press Office Press Release: Audience with Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration Nostra Aetate on the Church’s relations with non-Christian religions, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism are organizing a special event called, Walking ...

22/10/2025

Message for the Feast of the Deepavali entitled “Hindus and Christians: Building World Peace through Dialogue and Collaboration in the Spirit of Nostra Aetate, published by the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

The feast of Diwali is celebrated by all Hindus and is also known as Deepavali or “row of lamps”. Symbolically based on ancient mythology, it represents the victory of truth over falsehood, of light over darkness, of life over death, and of good over evil.

01/10/2025

30/09/2025

September 30,2025

GAWAD KAPAYAPAAN 2025
Acceptance Speech (final version)
Cardinal Orlando Beltran Quevedo, OMI
The Blue Leaf Events Pavilion
30 September 2025

• Distinguished guests, honorable diplomats and government officials, officials
from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, representatives of various
organizations, representatives of Moro Liberation Fronts, distinguished
members of the Bangsamoro Parliament, the honorable Sec Carlito Galvez,

dear Friends:

• May I first say that I am honored to be here with Vice Governor Hadjiman
Sabbihi "Jim" Hataman Saliman, who represents the Awardee, the
Provincial LGU of Basilan, and Maria Veronica "Ka Inca" Tabara, former
NPA revolutionary, who literally exemplifies the words of the Prophet Isaiah
of one "turning swords to plowshares" (Is. 2:3-4; also Mic. 4:3 and Joel
3:10).

• It is with great humility that I express my profound thanks to OPAPRU for
this award.

• Though a personal award, I accept it as a member of the Bangsamoro
Supreme Council of Leaders, representing the Christian settler
communities.

• Some 20 years ago, I said that the roots of conflict in the Bangsamoro are a
historic triple injustice, injustice that goes back to the beginning of the 20th
century, namely: injustice to Moro identity, injustice to Moro political
power, and injustice to Moro self-determination.

• The triple injustice has been substantially solved by the Comprehensive
Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

• But still much more has to be done to implement the Agreement and the
Law, as we can see in the present difficulties in the Normalization process
and within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
OBQ/fcd/01-10-2025 Page 1 of 2

• But I believe that peace is not simply in the successful implementation of
Agreements and Laws.

• Peace is from the heart, not from handshakes or from written words of
agreement. It is the presence of mutual trust, respect, and understanding in
everyone's heart, the active practice of the Common Word of the Holy
Qur'an, the universal and divine mandate to love one's neighbor. That, I
believe, is the essence of peace. And only with God's grace can this be
achieved.

• In the heart is the key to lasting peace. Peace comes from mutual love in the
heart. Peace resides in the heart. Peace comes from the heart.

• And that is what we have to strive for day by day, today and always.

• Once again, my profound thanks for this Peace Award. Prayers, God bless!

Our first 2025 awardee is His Eminence Orlando Beltran Cardinal Quevedo, O.M.I., D.D.

Known as Mindanao’s “Man of Peace,” Cardinal Quevedo made history as the first Cardinal from Mindanao in 2014. Over the years, he has devoted his life to promoting harmony among the island-region’s tri-people—Christians, Muslims and Lumads.

From his early days as Bishop of Kidapawan to co-founding the Bishops-Ulama Conference in 1996, he has built bridges of mutual understanding, respect and solidarity among the different faiths in Mindanao.

Today, as part of the BARMM Council of Leaders, he has been at the forefront of efforts to address the roots of armed conflict and advance dialogue, justice, and grassroots empowerment.

His decades of service to the Church and communities in Mindanao show us that peace is built not only through institutions, but through compassion, unity, and faith in humanity.

For his lifelong mission of healing divisions and inspiring hope, we honor Cardinal Quevedo with the .