Religions Discuss Human Suffering in Confab

VATICAN, Feb. 11, 2010-- The fact that human beings must endure illness, grow old and experience pain in body and spirit is a mystery that all the major religious seek to understand, said speakers at a Vatican conference.

Representatives of various faiths who gathered at the Vatican Feb. 9 to discuss the nature of illness and the care of the sick also agreed that faith and spirituality help people find meaning in human suffering and that faith offers a comfort that physical or medical solutions cannot provide.

The approach to suffering and pain in the Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic traditions was explored at a conference of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers. The meeting Feb. 9-11 celebrated the 25th anniversary of the founding of the council by Pope John Paul II in 1985 and his 1984 apostolic letter, "Salvifici Doloris," which addressed the complexities of human suffering.

Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the council, said, "It is clear that suffering and pain is always a mystery, and every religion seeks to understand why we must suffer."

For Christians, the answer lies in trying to understand the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, said Archbishop Zimowski and other Vatican leaders.

Rabbi Gianfranco Di Segni, a biologist and a professor at Rome's rabbinical college, said that in Jewish teaching the reason for suffering is never clear. "There are those who believe that it is the consequence of our actions and those who say our actions are not the cause. In any case, suffering brings on an examination of our conscience, and should be a stimulus to correct our life path by giving, by caring for the sick and doing good works. The point is, we don't understand the why of suffering, or the mystery of pain," he said.

In any case, he said, "it's better not to have it" and so the Jewish religion requires the pursuit of ways, especially in medicine, to alleviate suffering and pain.

Arvind Singhal from India, a Hindi businessman, said that pain and suffering for mankind was caused in the distant past by hunger, natural disasters, disease, wars and fear. As civilization developed, some of these conditions were eliminated or improved, but suffering continues, mainly because of human action.

Hunger has been replaced by obesity; many diseases have been eliminated only to be replaced by others such as diabetes, cancer and coronary illness caused at least in part by lifestyle choices; the forces of nature are again playing havoc in the form of global warning; wars are being fought for resources as in the past; and fear in the form of terrorism is causing terrible suffering, he said.

Hinduism places much of the responsibility on the individual for his lot in life, he said.

A key notion in the Hindu tradition, he said, is that of "Vasudhaivya Kutumbakam," or "the world is my family." Singhal said that much suffering could be alleviated if people would abide by that idea, share with others and act responsibly.

Abdellah Redouane, secretary general of the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy, said that pain and suffering "have forever marked the passage of human life."

For Muslims, believers must recognize that God, the supreme creator, "ordered the universe also with the continuous presence of pain and suffering for all creatures without distinction, good and bad," he said. They accept "suffering as an expression of his will," but that does not exempt them from trying to find medical and charitable solutions to human problems.

Huei Kai, a Buddhist professor at the Nanhua University in Taiwan, said that healing the condition of suffering was the foundation of Buddhism. In fact, he said, the Buddha is known as the "great physician"; the dharma -- Buddhist teaching -- is known as the "medicine," and the sangha -- the Buddhist community -- is called the "nurse."

For Buddhists, too, he said, the origin of pain and suffering is a mystery because while people are responsible for their actions and their consequences, a negative action doesn't necessary bring a direct negative response. (CNS)