I am deeply saddened by the passing of Muhammed Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his relatives and to the volunteers of Hizmet.

The ethical principles and wisdom of Muhammed Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi are reflected not only in his writings and works, but also in the actions and lives of the many who were inspired by his teachings. I got acquainted to Turkish volunteers of Hizmet many years ago. They were kind, smiling and eager to have a real dialogue with Jews and Christians.

A short time later, they got acquainted to the chief Rabbi of Milan (of blessed memory), his assistant, another Rabbi of blessed memory and some other people of the Jewish Community of Milan. Some of us were invited to meetings to talk about Jewish Holidays. At the end of the meetings, we used to eat delicious pastries prepared by people of the two groups, Turkish and Jewish respecting the kosher and halal dietary rules. In this way, a pleasant and friendly atmosphere was created. During the month of Ramadan, the volunteers of Hizmet used to offer Iftar dinners to some Christian social and religious communities. With generosity and kind attention to the kosher dietary rules, the Iftar dinner was offered also to some members of the Jewish community in a kosher restaurant. When the Covid pandemic began, it changed the lives of us all. With their generosity and their commitment to dialogue, the volunteers of Hizmet created a chatgroup: meetings were organized and held remotely through Zoom to talk about different topics. That group included Jews, Christians and Muslims, because in the last years before Covid our dialogue had truly become a tridialogue (in Italian: trialogo). The Christians are mainly members of OFS and of the Focolari Movement. Even now, after the end of Covid, we still hold meetings through Zoom. The topics are always connected to the relationship between the human being and himself, the relationship of the human being with others, with God and with the Created World.

Mankind keeps many shared memories, transmitted from one generation to another; but not all the memories are shared and not all the memories are similar. The layers of transgenerational memories in the soul and in the mind of an individual belonging to a majority group do not reflect the same experiences as those of an individual belonging to a minority group. Some people of Hizmet, suffering persecutions against them, told me that they are experimenting new feelings and emotions which make them understand the sufferings of the Jews.

The 20th century saw a revolutionary change brought by Nostra Aetate in the relations between the Catholic Church and the other Faiths, especially Judaism. During Saint John Paul II’s pontificate, other important documents offered indications for the full application of Nostra Aetate regarding Judaism. Saint John Paul II developed and confirmed the new teachings of the Church. He visited the Synagogue of Rome in April 1986 and in October he invited the religious leaders of the world to pray together in Assisi.

Muhammed Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi was not a mere witness to these changes, much more than that he gave a personal strong contribution to the awakening of consciences and to peace.

May his teachings live and may his memory be blessed!