Compassion, fraternity are keys in annual Vatican greeting to Buddhists (Vatican Press Office)

In an annual message to the world’s Buddhists, the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue compared Prince Siddhartha (the Buddha) with St. Francis of Assisi, noting that both men renounced their noble status. The Vatican message, timed for the Buddhist feast of Vesakh, noted: “Everything is related. Interdependence brings us back to the theme of compassion and fraternity.”