VATICAN CITY (Sin Chew Daily/ANN) -- The delegation of Buddhist groups to the Vatican attending the 60th anniversary celebration of Nostra Astate and a major interfaith exchange event is a case of Buddhism on the world stage.
The delegation of 80 members from the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism Chunghua with more than 200 Buddhism groups in Taiwan, was the only Chinese Buddhist group invited to attend the ceremony, meet Pope Leo XIV, and participate in a series of interreligious dialogue activities.
Venerable Yi Kong, executive director of the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism Chunghua and director of the Fo Guang Shan Institute of Culture, said it was an honor that Chinese Buddhism is generating growing influence on the global stage.
The delegation met Pope Leo XIV during a grand ceremony attended by 100,000 people at St. Peter's Square.
FGS Chief Abbot Venerable Hsin Bao, who is also president of the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism Chunghua, presented three gifts to Pope Leo XIV, including a gemstone portrait of the Pope.
The other two gifts are a chalice, and a calligraphy by the late Venerable Master Hsing Yun.
The Pope showed great interest in the gifts and was visibly delighted upon seeing the ceramic chalice.
The gemstone portrait was crafted from Burmese stones by young girls at an orphanage in Myanmar supported by the United Association.
The ceramic chalice was created by Taiwanese artist Zhang Guei-Wei, using Song Dynasty techniques to control the firing process to produce a metallic-luster glaze, blending ancient and modern artistry.
Due to the challenging process with only about 1 percent success rate, it takes nearly ten years to successfully fire just one piece.
The calligraphy by the late master Hsing Yun conveyed the Buddhist aspiration for global harmony and peace.
This is Yi Kong's third visit to the Vatican.
She said the event fully reflected the shared core values of all religions -- peace and harmony.
"The Pope is patient, attentive, and he truly engages with people without distinction."
"When we speak of humanistic Buddhism, I see in them a kind of 'humanistic Catholicism,'" said Yi Kong, who took note of the strong organization structure of the Catholic Church and its systematic approach to talent cultivation that Buddhist groups could emulate.
Yi Kong suggested that in future the United Association and FGS should have closer exchange mechanism with the Vatican on religious studies.
"It's not about comparing who is greater or lesser, but to understand differences and appreciate one another," said Yi Kong.
"The interfaith exchange should also be extended to Islam and folk religions in Taiwan."
Religions serve as a guidance and healing force in today's world which is full of conflicts and wars, Yi Kong added.
khnews@heraldcorp.com
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