15. Dialogue with those of other religions. Inter-religious dialogue forms part of the Church's evangelizing mission. Like preaching, it is also a way of making Christ known, and it is essential that the Catholic Church maintain good relations and contact with those of other faiths. It should be a saving dialogue, approached in the spirit of Christ himself.

Catechists, with their task of communicating the faith, should be open to this kind of dialogue and be trained to take part in it. They should be taught to realize its value and put it into practice in accordance with the guidelines of the Magisterium, especially those of Redemptoris Missio, of the subsequent document Dialogue and Proclamation, which was drawn up jointly by the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and the CEP, and of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. These guidelines include:

- Listening to the Spirit, who blows where He wills (cf. Jn 3:8); respecting his work in souls; and striving for inner purification, without which dialogue cannot bear fruit.

- Accurate knowledge of the religions practiced in the area: their history and organization; the values in them which, like "seeds of the Word", can be a "preparation for the gospel"^; their limitations and errors which are not in conformity with the gospel and which should be respectively completed and corrected.

- A conviction that salvation comes from Christ and that, therefore, dialogue does not dispense one from proclamation, that the Church is the ordinary way of salvation and that only she possesses the fulness of revealed truth and salvific means . As Pope John Paul II confirmed, while referring to Redemptoris Missio: "One cannot place on the same level God's revelation in Christ and the scriptures or traditions of other religions. A theocentrism which did not recognize Christ in his full identity would be unacceptable to the Catholic faith. (...)Christ's missionary command remains permanently valid and is an explicit call to make disciples of all nations and to baptize them, in order to bring them the fullness of God's gift". Dialogue should not, therefore, lead to religious relativism.

- Practical cooperation with non-Christian religious bodies in facing the great challenges to humanity such as the bringing about of peace, justice, development etc.. There should always be an attitude of esteem and openness towards persons. God is the Father of all, and it is his love that should unite the human family in working for good.

In taking part in such dialogue, catechists should not be left on their own but should be integrated in the community. Initiatives in this area should be undertaken in the context of programs approved by the Bishop and, when necessary, by the Episcopal Conference or the Holy See. Catechists should not act unilaterally, and especially should do nothing against the norms laid down.

Finally, one should continue to believe in dialogue, even when it seems difficult or misunderstood. In certain conditions, it is indeed the only way to bear witness to Christ; it is always "a path towards the Kingdom and will certainly bear fruit, even if the times and seasons are known only to the Father" (cf. Acts 1:7).