Dialoguing with others is a human need, a condition of people's being. It humanizes and enriches them, and allows them to develop common actions. In this sense, it is necessary for coexistence in society, since there is no other way to articulate common projects and to add the contributions of all. If there are wounds or misgivings, it may be difficult, but it will open the way to reconciliation. As seems obvious, it presupposes the recognition of a dignity common to all, over and above differences of any kind, and the fidelity of each one to his or her own personal convictions. This enriches everyone, rather than preventing them from listening or collaborating.
There are times when attitudes of dialogue and respect are found to be desirable and beneficial. This is the case in some current situations, in disparate spheres. In the religious sphere, we have just celebrated the annual week of prayer for Christian unity, with signs of understanding and affection that, without concealing differences, show a real rapprochement of believers in Christ, all in the perspective of the fifth anniversary of the Lutheran reform next year. In the relationship between the various religions, the warm welcome given to the Holy Father in the synagogue of Rome, amidst the encouraging context created by the documents published almost simultaneously in December by the Holy See's Commission for Relations with Judaism and by a large number of rabbis, including a novel approach to mutual consideration, should be highlighted. In relations with Muslims as well, the benefits of dialogue and the need to foster reconciliation are clear. The same principle should accompany the necessary effort to integrate migrants and refugees in Europe.
Turning our gaze to another context, the current political situation in Spain also calls, according to a unanimous interpretation, for a new disposition to dialogue. The Compendium of Social Doctrine reminds us that the promotion of dialogue must inspire the political action of lay Christians (n. 565). It is necessary that ways be found to promote it at the various levels where problems arise, many of them serious and in apparent deadlock: political, labor, economic, territorial, ideological... But society also needs that dialogue not be reduced to a tactical element, to a short-term recourse to find formulas that only resolve short-term difficulties. It must be translated into a new willingness to serve common projects of coexistence. It could be an opportunity to strengthen democracy and renew the political culture.
