In a demonstration of interfaith unity, a Vatican delegation joined Sikh leaders in Birmingham for a conference on Sikh-Catholic dialogue. Centred on the themes of selfless service (nishkam seva) and shared fraternity, the event highlighted how both traditions can bridge divisions and foster peace by translating sacred values into compassionate, real-world action for the common good.
Cardinal Koovakad and Mauricio Silva (centre) with friends from the Dialogue Society and the Focolare Movement. Photo: Dialogue Society.
On Wednesday 21 October 2026, a Vatican delegation, presided by His Eminence Cardinal George Koovakad, travelled to Birmingham (UK) to attend a conference on Sikh-Catholic dialogue at the Nishkam Campus. Columban Fr Ray Collier and I attended on behalf of the Columbans in Britain.
Cardinal Koovakad, prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue (DID), had been in the country since 17 October on a visit themed ‘Together in Prayer and Dialogue for Peace’, focusing on the relationship between the Church and the Dharmic traditions (the family of Indian-origin religions, primarily Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism).
The conference was opened by Bhai Sahib (Prof) Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia, the spiritual leader and chairman of the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (GNNSJ), and Cardinal Koovakad, who had earlier visited the neighbouring Gurdwara. Cardinal Koovakad praised the ‘prayers for all humanity’ offered in this sacred place for nearly 50 years, and the ‘fraternity in action’ embodied by the langar (community kitchen), which provides meals day and night to all who come.
Reflecting on the Sikh concept of ‘selfless service’, and drawing on papal teachings on dialogue, Cardinal Koovakad highlighted the value of Christian solidarity, which not only reminds us of our interconnectedness but can also be equated with the idea of service made concrete. Evoking the Gospel passage in which Jesus washes the feet of his disciples before the Last Supper, he reminded us that both traditions have a vocation to ‘serve people and not ideologies’. In this way, Sikhs and Catholics can counter negative narratives that sow division in communities. Paraphrasing the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, he concluded that the fruit of our common service is peace.
Dialogue among leaders and experts
Archbishop of Birmingham Bernard Longley (who serves as a member of the DID and is the chair of the Bishops’ Conference Department of Dialogue and Unity) reflected on how Christians believe in a God who loves and who is love. A God who enters history in Jesus, whose sacrifice on the cross is the fullest expression of God’s love for humanity. In sending the Holy Spirit to his disciples, he continued, Jesus gives them an inner strength to love and serve one another. Quoting the words of Saint Lawrence, who pointed to the poor as the true treasure of the Church, he reminded us that our service to the most vulnerable must inform systems of justice and fraternity.
Six Sikh experts, active in academic and civic life, explained that selfless service, prayer and remembrance of God are central to Sikhism and its call to virtuous living. Sikhs understand life as a gift from God’s own being, his own energy; people therefore worship not only through prayer but also by serving all creatures. Service honours this divine gift by giving without expecting anything in return and helps overcome the ego, which is regarded as the source of all suffering. Yet Sikh teaching also warns that service itself can become an expression of the ego, underscoring the importance of truly selfless service, or nishkam seva.
Mons Michael Santiago (part of the DID delegation) offers word of thanks to the Sikh community outside the Nishkam Campus. Photo: Mauricio Silva.
Challenges and opportunities of Dialogue
Bhai Sahib Ji emphasised that, in our interreligious journeys, we have made positive statements and public declarations, but the time has now come for these partnerships to translate words into meaningful actions. Moving from tolerance to acceptance and to working together for the common good by serving God’s creatures, we serve God, he insisted.
Bishop of Nottingham Patrick McKinney (Lead Catholic Bishop for Interreligious Dialogue), recalling Pope Francis’ teachings on social friendship, invited participants to see their common service to humanity as a contribution to world peace: a peace built with hearts and hands; an ‘unarmed and disarming peace’, in the words of Pope Leo XIV. Reflecting on the wisdom of the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, he called for an honest theology of difference, which impels us to hear and see God in those who are different and better prepares our respective religious communities to face tensions in times of division and conflict.
Members of the delegation and the hosts sharing langar at the GNNSJ Gurdwara. Photo: Mauricio Silva.
Continuous dialogue of life and action
The conference was framed as the fifth ‘bilateral dialogue’ hosted by GNSSJ in partnership with the Vatican’s DID. It followed the traditional format of a dialogue between experts and leaders, with the audience largely taking the role of listeners. The attendees included members of the local Sikh communities, some faith leaders and interfaith practitioners, seminarians, and a few members of the Catholic laity.
As Bishop McInney pointed out during the conference, I felt that the shared langar during the lunch break may well have been the highlight of the gathering and perhaps the very reason for holding the event. The devotion shown by our Sikh brothers and sisters in preparing and serving a delicious meal to the attendees, the sense of equality among all those sharing the food, and the lively one-to-one conversations among people who may have met for the first time that day spoke to me more deeply and authentically of what this conference was truly about.
Mauricio Silva is the Columban Interreligious Coordinator in Britain.
Related links
- Read more from the current Columban Interfaith eBulletin.
