Both Hindu and Catholic leaders in Canada have long recognized the value of cultural and religious diversity and of harmonious relations built on mutual understanding and respect for the sacred. For these reasons, inspired by the Second Vatican Council, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, through the Episcopal Commission for Christian Unity, Religious Relations with the Jews, and Interfaith Dialogue, established a partnership in 2012 with the Hindu Federation  of Canada to launch a national Catholic/Hindu Dialogue. Members of this Dialogue meet in a spirit of mutual friendship and profound respect for each other’s sacred traditions, jointly exploring topics of mutual concern, such as the distinctiveness of each other’s rituals, philosophies, ethics, and prayer traditions, as well as moral issues of wider concern within Canadian society.