The OCHS ‘Bridges and Barriers to Hindu-Christian Relations’ report, compiled by Dr Jessica Frazier, was launched at the Hindu-Christian Forum (HCF) at Lambeth Palace on 23 November.
The Hindu-Christian Forum was hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams. The event was introduced by the Chairs of the HCF: The Ven. Richard Atkinson, Archdeacon of Leicester, and an OCHS scholar, Ramesh Pattni, Interfaith Chair of the Hindu Forum of Britain. It was addressed by Andrew Stunell MP, Sri Shruti Dharma Das Ji, Baroness Richardson, and Lord Popat.
The report, funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government and compiled by the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, was consistently praised by all on the panel and was the basis of the Forum’s discussion. The Archbishop described the report as a ‘very creative and stimulating piece of work, which provides an enormous resource for reflecting on how dialogue can be pursued, and how at the grassroots level it is to be understood and worked with.’
Speaking of a recent visit to Bangalore, Williams described a day of dialogue with religious leaders from a variety of Hindu traditions as ‘a deeply enriching experience, a day in which we were able to speak simply and directly about our traditions. We were able to say together at the end of that conversation a number of things about our mutual respect and the understanding that we sought.’ The attendees at Lambeth Palace echoed this very sentiment.
