![Sean Tan, Special Assistant to the CEO of Tzu Chi Foundation (centre), presents a handmade Jing Si pottery lamp to Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in November 2025. [Photo courtesy of Sean Tan]](/images/Articles/RW/2025/202511_Interfaith01_Sean.jpg "Sean Tan, Special Assistant to the CEO of Tzu Chi Foundation (centre), presents a handmade Jing Si pottery lamp to Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in November 2025. [Photo courtesy of Sean Tan]")
Tzu Chi’s interfaith delegation travelled to Abu Dhabi and the Vatican, meeting Muslim and Catholic leaders to advance peacebuilding and expand humanitarian cooperation.
In November 2025, a delegation from the Tzu Chi Foundation began a meaningful interfaith peace journey, meeting with Islamic and Catholic leaders in Abu Dhabi and the Vatican. The initiative sought to deepen understanding across faith traditions and strengthen cooperation for global harmony. The visit coincided with the Vatican’s once-every-25-years Jubilee (Holy Year), giving the exchange additional historical significance.
◎ Origins of an interfaith partnership
The foundation for this interfaith collaboration was laid during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. In Malaysia, Tzu Chi closely collaborated with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and 17 other interfaith organisations to provide medical supplies and livelihood support to vulnerable communities.
Through this shared effort, all groups recognised the universal compassion and love central to their respective faiths. These connections inspired deeper dialogue and eventually led to this interfaith peace initiative.
Building on the partnerships formed since 2021, the eight-member delegation was led by Sean Tan, Special Assistant to the CEO of Tzu Chi Foundation, together with Debra Boudreax, Chief International Affairs Officer, and Tzu Chi Malaysia (KL & Selangor) Deputy CEOs Tong Siew Bee and Josephine Tien. Guided by the spirit of peace, compassion, and shared goodness, they sought collaborative pathways in a world facing increasing instability.
◎ A journey for shared understanding
The journey began in Hualien, Taiwan, where representatives from the Archdiocesan Office for Human Development (AOHD) of the Catholic Church in Kuala Lumpur visited the Jing Si Abode from November 3 to 9.
During their stay, the delegation explored Tzu Chi’s four missions—charity, medicine, education, and humanistic culture—participated in monastic ceremonies, joined volunteer work, and met with Master Cheng Yen. This week-long exchange created a warm and open environment for sharing the core values of each faith, strengthening the foundation for the dialogues to come.
◎ Voices for peace in Abu Dhabi
From November 11 to 15, the Tzu Chi delegation travelled to Abu Dhabi to meet with prominent Muslim leaders. H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, welcomed the delegation, emphasising: Interfaith peace should not merely be coexistence, but living in each other’s joy.
H.E. Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, echoed this view: “Today’s global challenges exceed what any single religion can face alone. No religion can build a better world by itself, but when religions work together, there is hope.”
These discussions highlighted the critical importance of collaborative action among faith traditions in addressing shared humanitarian challenges.
◎ A shared prayer for peace at the Vatican
From November 16 to 21, the delegation arrived at the Vatican to participate in Jubilee-year activities and meet officials from the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, including Fr. Marcus Solo, and Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia.
The journey culminated in a deeply meaningful moment: Sean Tan, representing Master Cheng Yen and the Jing Si Abode, presented Pope Leo XIV with a handmade Jing Si pottery lamp.
Crafted at the Jing Si Abode and engraved with verses from the Sutra of Infinite Meanings, the lamp symbolises: the light of Buddhist compassion and wisdom, the hope that religions may illuminate and uplift one another, and a shared prayer for world peace among Buddhist, Islamic, and Catholic traditions.
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Guided by Master Cheng Yen’s teachings of unconditional loving-kindness and universal compassion, this interfaith journey brought three major world religions into meaningful dialogue. Religious leaders affirmed the necessity of cooperation, recognising that only through unity can humanity find hope amid global turbulence. Working alongside global religious partners, Tzu Chi will continue advancing peacebuilding efforts, humanitarian relief, and care for vulnerable communities to help build a more stable and harmonious future for all.
(Source: Global Faiths Unite for Shared Humanitarian Goals)
