Tourism as an occasion to accept and respect "diversity"
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Tourism must be a time for dialogue and encounter, an occasion to get to know, respect and accept "the other" and his/her culture. This applies both to the tourist and those who welcome tourists, who should for example avoid transforming traditions into spectacles for the sole purpose of earning money. Looking at the differences between peoples as a positive factor, which for the Church also has the task of "summing up" in Jesus "all the treasure of human diversity that sin has turned into division and conflict." And "may the breath of God conquer all xenophobia, discrimination, racism, drawing closer those who are distant, in contemplation of the unity / diversity of a human family blessed by God." These are the guidelines set out the Message of the Pontifical council for the pastoral care of migrants and itinerant people on the occasion of World Tourism Day 2009 which this year will be held September 27 on the theme: "Tourism, celebrating diversity."
“Diversity is a fact, a reality, - the document reads - but, as Pope Benedict XVI reminds us, it is also a positive factor, something good, and not a threat or a danger, up to the point that the Holy Father wants “people not only [to] accept the existence of other cultures but also desire to be enriched by them”
“In positively evaluating what is different, - continues the Message - we note a contradiction. On one hand we observe that in this time of globalization, cultures and religions approach each other more and more, and that in the heart of all cultures, an authentic desire for peace is emerging. On the other hand, we see misunderstandings, prejudices and deeply rooted misconceptions that raise barriers and nurture divisions. This is the fear that is in us of what is different, unknown.
We must therefore do everything we can to transform discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance into understanding and mutual acceptance, through the roads of respect, education and open, constructive and binding dialogue”.
From this perspective, tourism is also “an occasion for dialogue and listening, inasmuch as it puts people in contact with other ways of living, other religions, other ways of seeing the world and its history. It is likewise an invitation not to withdraw into one’s own culture, but to be open and face different ways of thinking and living. It should not be surprising, therefore, that extremist sectors and terrorist groups of a fundamentalist nature indicate tourism as a danger and an objective to destroy. Mutual knowledge – let us ardently hope – will help in building a more just, supportive and fraternal society”.
“People’s initial experience regarding diversity takes place today also in the virtual world, a cosmic megalopolis permanently offered to everyone. Thanks to this first form of “tourism”, which is virtual and kinematic, diversity is observed at a close range, facilitating a proximity of the different one who is distant. It is this “tourism” that first celebrates diversity. However, it is above all tourism understood as a physical mobility, that underlines natural, ecological, social, cultural, patrimonial and religious diversity. It also allows us to discover the work done together, cooperation among peoples, unity among human beings in the magnificent and disturbing diversity of its achievements”.
“All this requires an effort, both on the part of the visitors and of the local residents who welcome, to assume an attitude of openness, respect, nearness, trust in such a way that, motivated by their desire to meet others, respecting their personal, cultural and religious diversity, they will be open to dialogue and understanding”.
“The foundation of diversity lies in the mystery of God. The Word that creates is at the origin of the richness of the species, particularly of him/her who is the “image and likeness” of God. This poetical biblical Word is diversity, source of the identity of every creature, since the Creator was the first to contemplate the beauty-goodness of everything that He made (cf. Gen 1). And God is also that wonderful force which is the principle of unity of all differences, seen as a “manifestation of the Spirit … given for some benefit (1 Cor 12:7). In contemplating diversity, the human person discovers traces of the divine in the footprints of what is human. And for the believer, differences as a whole open ways by which one can draw near the infinite greatness of God. As a phenomenon having the possibility of celebrating diversity, tourism, for us, can be Christian, an open road to contemplative confession”.
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