The Vatican has invited the world’s Buddhists and Christians to work together to combat and prevent the heinous crime of corruption by eradicating its underlying causes. In a message for Vesakh, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID)analyses the causes and ill effects of corruption and suggests ways to prevent and eradicate it.
As reported by Vatican Radio, the message signed by PCID President His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, and Secretary, Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, said, “Corruption involving the abuse of positions of power for personal gain, both within the public or private sectors, has become such a pervasive scandal in today’s world that the United Nations has designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day.”
The PCID reminded that corruption leads to evils such as bad governance, pillaging of national assets, low economic growth, inflation, tax evasion, great inequality and the degradation of the environment. The message called on the Buddhists and Christians to combat the evil through concrete measures such as exposing corrupt people and holding them accountable, creating public awareness about fiscal integrity, encouraging more women in politics and introducing transparent and inclusive institutions.
