“In 1965, Nostra Aetate was not only marking the opening of the Catholic Church to dialogue with non-Christian religions. It was the recognition by the Catholic Church that all religions and all believers have something to bring to humanity and the world, and were not to be seen as competitors or enemies but as fellow human beings, partners, equal in dignity.” Eric Roux, Chair of URI’s Global Council
From October 26 to 30, 2025, representatives of the United Religions Initiative (URI) joined religious leaders and interfaith organizations in Rome to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the landmark Vatican declaration on interreligious relations.
The gathering included an international conference, a celebration on October 27 marking the official anniversary, and the General Audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square on October 28.
For URI, being part of this commemoration carried profound meaning.
“For the last 25 years, URI has been bringing people from all faiths, beliefs, and spiritual traditions together to bring positive change to the world. In Rome during these days of celebration and especially during the General Audience, there was a feeling of convergence. The Catholic Church has made a long and deep journey since 1965. So many diverse faith and spiritual representatives gathered in Rome to celebrate Nostra Aetate with the Catholic Church, that this gathering itself was a living testimony to how much the interfaith movement has grown over these decades.
For us in URI, that means a lot. A lot has been done, a lot remains to do, and we do it together. We were proud to participate in this celebration, and very happy to see how His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and Cardinal Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, align with our purposes and inspire others to work together beyond cultural and religious differences toward a better world. That’s the future, if there is to be one.” Eric Roux, Chair of URI’s Global Council
During the event, URI was pleased to meet Cardinal Koovakad and reconnect with many friends and members from across the interfaith movement who also took part in the celebration.
Maria Crespo, URI’s Director of Growth and Vitality, also shared her reflections on the conference and the General Audience:
“In the past, I experienced the way URI celebrates interfaith collaboration as quite different from what I had seen in my church, more diverse, more inclusive, with the participation of youth, women, and cultural performances. URI has always been at the vanguard.
I loved that the Pope spoke about interfaith collaboration as something that should be daily and enduring, just like in URI’s Purpose. This gives me hope because I don’t believe in one-time events just for pictures, but in sustained shared action.
I also noticed more women featured this year. They are still a minority, but their number is growing, and that’s an important change. URI’s consistent engagement of youth and women in interfaith work is influencing how interreligious collaboration is done today. It’s difficult to measure, but I believe URI has influenced Pope Francis through many years of collaboration in Argentina and continued engagement during his time as Pope, just as he has influenced the evolution of interfaith dialogue in the Catholic Church.
Collaboration with interfaith departments across all religions is one of the ways URI contributes to shaping how people of different faiths work together. Religions need to reach their communities with the message of interreligious collaboration, and URI is helping make that happen.”
During the conference, URI was honored to bring the perspective of grassroots peacebuilding into the conversations and presentations led by prominent theologians and religious leaders, all emphasizing the enduring importance of dialogue. URI’s presence helped highlight the lived experience of communities that embody interfaith cooperation every day.
Eric Roux, Maria Crespo, and Samira Fatma Baručija-Homoraš represented URI at the celebration. Together, they expressed pride in representing a global network that lives the spirit of Nostra Aetate every day and builds impact in more than 120 countries around the world.
As the world faces growing polarization, violence, and religiously motivated divisions, URI’s participation in the Nostra Aetate celebration reaffirmed its ongoing mission to strengthen interfaith cooperation, prevent violence, build cultures of peace and justice, and remind the world that dialogue and shared action must be constant, inclusive, and transformative.
The spirit of Nostra Aetate lives on, not as a document of the past, but as a call for continued partnership, empathy, and courage to build a future together.
