Vatican expresses solidarity with Muslims for fasting from Ramadan

The Vatican has expressed his solidarity with the Muslims who participate in the fast of Ramadan, noting that Catholics also fast and do penance during the time of Lent and inviting a greater dialogue and friendship between the believers of the two religions.

“Our world is thirsty for fraternity and genuine dialogue,” reads the March 7 message of the Dicastery for the interreligious dialogue of the Vatican. “Together, Muslims and Christians can testify to this hope in the conviction that friendship is possible despite the weight of history and ideologies that promote exclusion.”

“Hope,” he continues, “is not a mere optimism: it is a virtue rooted in faith in God, the merciful, our creator.”

In 2025, Ramadan will last approximately from February 28 to March 29 and will conclude with the three-day celebration of EID al-Fitr.

The Christian Lent time began on March 5 and will end on April 17 with the three days known as Pascual Triduum – Holy Jueves, Good Friday and Holy Saturday – followed by Easter Sunday.

“This year, Ramadan coincides largely with Lent, which for Christians is a period of fasting, plea and conversion to Christ,” says Dicastery. “This proximity in the spiritual calendar offers us a unique opportunity to walk together, Christians and Muslims, in a common path of purification, prayer and charity.”

The annual Vatican message for Ramadan was signed by the new prefect of Dicastery, Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, and his secretary, Fr. Indunil Janakarathne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage.

Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Koovakad Prefect of Dicastery at the end of January, occupying the vacancy left by Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, who died at the end of 2024.

Cardinal Koovakad, a native of India and part of the Syrian-Malabar Catholic Church, was previously responsible for the organization of papal travel.

In his message, the interreligious Dicasterio highlighted the similarities between the Muslim observance of Ramadan and the Catholic observance of Lent.

“Refraining from eating and drinking, Muslims learn to control their wishes and to concentrate on the essential. This time of spiritual discipline is an invitation to cultivate piety, the virtue that brings us closer to God and opens our hearts to others, ”he says.

“In the Christian tradition, the sacred time of Lent invites us to follow a similar path: through fasting, prayer and alms, we seek to purify our hearts and focus on the one who guides and directs our lives,” he continues. “These spiritual practices, even if they express themselves differently, remind us that faith is not only a matter of external expressions, but a path of inner conversion.”

The Dicastery said he wanted to reflect on how Christians and Muslims can become “true brothers and sisters, giving common testimony of God’s friendship with all humanity.”

“Our trust in God,” says Cardinal Koovakad’s message, “is a treasure that unites us, beyond our differences. It reminds us that we are all spiritual creatures, embodied, loved, called to live with mutual dignity and respect. ”

“In addition, we want to become custodians of this sacred dignity, rejecting all forms of violence, discrimination and exclusion,” continues the dicastery.

“This year, when our two spiritual traditions converge by celebrating Ramadan and Lent, we have a unique opportunity to show the world that faith transforms people and societies and that it is a force of unity and reconciliation,” he says.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.