Fr Martin Sirju
WORLD Interfaith Harmony Week was celebrated from February 1-7. The week is set aside by the United Nations since 2010 to focus on the importance of interfaith relations and what we can do as a body to pray and work together to enhance peace, foster dialogue, undertake joint projects, and help save the planet.
In this regard, the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), of which I am the Roman Catholic Church’s representative (non-executive), assumes great importance, both symbolically and in its concrete undertakings.
The IRO was founded in 1970 by members of the Roman Catholic, Muslim and Hindu faiths. Membership has increased from a few members in 1970 to over 25 in 2025. It was born out of the 1970 Black Power upheaval and consequently has a role to play not only in religious affairs, but in socio-political/economic concerns as well.
The IRO has very limited financial resources and subsists mainly on the money that is given to the organisation by institutions requesting our assistance. We are very grateful to governments past and present for their financial assistance and support. The current government has given us lodging at Government Campus, Richmond Street, Port of Spain, and this gives us a base from which we can operate.
The IRO comprises five basic groupings – Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Bahai and Orisha – with the latter two often being forgotten as invitations generally request members from the first three at interfaith services. We often have to remind requesting institutions that an interfaith service must include all five.
In interfaith work dialogue is crucial and there are four types – of life, religious experience, social action, and theological exchange. The first one is especially strong here as we live very well together as people of different races and religions. We don’t live side by side; we live together. The second is also strong as we often pray together. There is much more work to be done in the area of social action and theological exchange.
It must be underscored that the IRO is an inter-religious organisation, not an intercultural organisation. We are about religion first and culture after. One cannot separate the two for religion must operate within a culture, but our first focus is the Divine and His/Her people and not intercultural dialogue per se.
This causes problems from both state departments and private sector. The aim of the IRO is to maintain the importance of religion in the life of each person. We are not meant to hide our identity nor should we be asked to. Each of the above religions has common elements but non-negotiable tenets too that contribute to the distinctiveness of each religion. These ought not to be compromised by requesting institutions – “all ah we is not one!”
Sometimes we are told to keep things general. But that would reduce us to cultural groups sharing wisdom teaching or turn us into motivational speakers. This request to not mention the names of religious founders or deities is coming from sectors, state and private, and
