In his speech to the Bishops of Asia present in Korea (Haemi Shrine, August 17, 2014), Francis encourages them to foster dialogue and openness with all people and religions. with all people and religions. For this, the starting point must be Christian identity: what we are, what God has done for us and what he asks of us. what God has done for us and what he asks of us. And, as always, all of us are invited to This is how the Pope explains it: "We cannot engage in true dialogue if we are not aware of our identity as Christians, of what God has done for us and what he asks of us. dialogue if we are not aware of our identity. Out of nothingness, out of the fog of self-consciousness, we cannot dialogue, we cannot begin to dialogue.

Y addedOn the other hand, there can be no authentic dialogue if we are not able to open our minds and hearts, with empathy and sincere and heart, with empathy and sincere welcome, to those to whom we speak. those to whom we speak. It is an attentiveness, and in attentiveness we guide the Holy Spirit".

In short: "A clear sense of one's own identity and a capacity for empathy are therefore the starting point for all dialogue. If wewant to communicate freely, openly and fruitfully with others, we must be clear about who we are, what God has done for us and what heasks of us. And if our communication is not to be a monologue, there must be openness of mind and heart to accept individuals and cultures .Without fear: fear is the enemy of such openness". Now, Francis observes, "the task of appropriating our identity and expressing it is not always easy because, sincewe are sinners, we will always be tempted by the spirit of the world, which manifests itself in different ways.

 And he points out three of these temptations: relativism, superficiality, and the 

a) The first "is the deceitful glare of relativism, which obscures the splendor of truth and, removing the earth from under our feet, shakes us to the ground. the splendor of truth and, stirring the ground beneath our feet, pushes us into the quicksand of confusion and despair. and pushes us into the quicksand of confusion and despair". This is not a temptation only for individuals, but "in today's world It affects Christian communities as well, leading people to forget that, in the words of the Vatican Councilin the words of the Second Vatican Council - 'beyond all that changes are immutable realities. immutable realities; they find their ultimate foundation in Christ, who is always the same: yesterday, today and today. always the same: yesterday, today and forever' (Gaudium et spes, 10; cfr. And the Pope warns: "I am not speaking here of relativism understood only as a system of thought, but of relativism understood as a system of thought. as a system of thought, but of that daily practical relativism which, almost imperceptibly, weakens every identity".

b) A second way in which the world threatens the solidity of our Christian identity is superficiality, as described by Francis: "the tendency to fidget with fashionable things, gadgets and distractions, instead of devoting ourselves to the things that really count (cf. Phil 1:10). He adds that a culture that exalts the ephemeral and offers numerous places of evasion and escape poses a serious pastoral problem. "For the Church 'sministers , this superficiality can even manifest itself in becoming fascinated by pastoral programs and theories, to the detriment of direct and fruitful meeting with our faithful, and also with the non-faithful, especially the young, who need a solid catechesis anda securespiritual guide . Without being rooted in Christ, the truths by which we live end up collapsing, the internship of virtues becomes formalism, and dialogue is reduced to a kind of negotiation, or to a agreement over disagreement. This agreement on disagreement... so that the waters do not move... That superficiality that hurts us so much".

c) The third temptation "is the apparent security of hiding behind easy answers, catch phrases, laws and regulations. easy answers, catch phrases, laws and regulations. Jesus fought so hard against those people who hid behind laws, rules, easy answers.... easy answers... He called them hypocrites.

On the other hand, Francis points out, "faith, by its nature, is not centered on itself. itself, faith tends to 'go out'. It seeks to make itself understood exampleor, engenders the mission statement".

In this sense," he stresses, "faith makes us capable of being at the same time courageous and humble in our witness of hope and love. St. Peter tells us that we must always be ready to respond to anyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope that is in us (cf. 1Pt 3:15)" .

Thus, "our identity as Christians consists in final in the commitment to worship God alone and to love one another, to be at the service of others, and to be at the service of others. to worship God alone and to love one another, to be at the service of one another and to show, by our example, not only in what we do, but also in what we do. service to one another and to show, by our example, not only what we believe in, but also what we hope for and who is the One in whom we have what we believe in, but also in what we hope for and who is the One in whom we have put our trust (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:1). in whom we have put our trust (cf. 2Tm 1:12)".

It is on the basis of this "living faith," summarizes the Pope, that our deepest identity is constituted. identity is constituted. And it is also the starting point for Christian dialogue, since this lived faith "is what we are called to share in a sincere, honest and unassuming way through the dialogue of ordinary life. honest, sincere, without presumption, through the dialogue of ordinary life, the dialogue of charity and in all the dialogue of charity and on all the more formal occasions that may arise. occasions that may arise. Because Christ is our life (cf. Phil. 1:21), we speak of him and, starting from him, without doubt or fear, without fear. from him, without doubt or fear. The simplicity of his word is evident in the simplicity of our life, in the simplicity of our life, in the simplicity of our life. in the simplicity of our life, in the simplicity of our way of communicating, in the simplicity of our works of service. the simplicity of our works of service and charity towards our brothers and sisters. Christian identity, as the Pope points out, makes our life and the lives of those around us fruitful. those around us, and is manifested in fruits of justice, goodness and peace. For this reason, Francis asks the bishops: "Does the Christian identity of your your particular Churches appear clearly in your youth and youth ministry programs? catechesisand youth ministry programs, in your service to the poor and to those who languish on the margins of our rich, wealthy on the margins of our affluent societies and in our efforts to nurture vocations to the priesthood? Does it appear in your programs for the priesthood and the religious life? Finally, Christian identity goes hand in hand with the ability to empathize; that is, not only to listen to the poor and the not only to listen to others, but also to grasp, beyond their words and actions, their hopes and and their actions, their hopes and concerns.

In this sense," says Francis, "dialogue requires of us an authentic 'contemplative' spirit: a contemplative spirit of openness and openness to the world. authentic 'contemplative' spirit: a contemplative spirit of openness and acceptance of the of openness and acceptance of the other. I cannot dialogue if I am closed to the other. Openness? More Even more: welcome! Come into my house, you, into my heart. My heart welcomes you. It wants And that - he concludes - is what makes us capable of a true human dialogue, where words, ideas and questions dialogue, in which words, ideas and questions arise from an experience of fraternity and shared humanity. fraternity and shared humanity. The theological foundation is that we are children of the same Father, God. And when we walk in his presence we enter into the same dynamic of the incarnation of his Son, Jesus Christ. No We do not want to supplant the identity of the countries and cultures to which we come, but we open ourselves to all through dialogue and service. And in this way the Lord will move hearts to be baptized or at least to come closer to Christianity. Christianity.