Ramadan and Lent converge on the same themes

By Msgr. John Wynand Katende

Posted on: Thursday, 19th February 2026

Since 2009, when we first made friends, under the auspices of the Nile Dialogue Platform, Haj Issa Kiralira and I have been exchanging special greetings over our respective religious feasts and holy seasons. This time round, we feel delighted to observe the beginning of Ramadan and Lent on the same day; a phenomenon that occurs roughly once in every 32 years.

But first and foremost, we need to understand that what we call coincidence from our human perspective is so in divine perspective. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, something is lucky or chance-like only when compared to inferior causes. When compared to some higher cause, the event is seen as directly intended. Relative to God, who directs everything according to his divine plan, nothing occurs by chance. Proverbs 19:21 says that God’s administration of the universe is not based on serendipity. His purposes will prevail and that He is in control of even the most random event.

In other words, when we see God’s hand maneuvering in our lives in beautiful ways such as this, we should recognize it and praise Him. He uses all of them to make us more like Him. So, every time we say “coincidence” or “luck” we weaken our conviction that God has a plan.  

God is always calling believers to make the same pilgrimage back to Him. This is only possible through interfaith dialogues than otherwise. Interfaith dialogue is about what unites us than what divides us. Ramadan and Lent converge on themes of fasting, prayer, charity, and self-reflection. Both seasons aim for inner transformation, repentance, and strengthening one's relationship with God, often involving voluntary or mandatory deprivation to foster empathy for the less fortunate and greater mindfulness.

I wish to enhance my contribution to this dialogue with some quotes from Pope Francis during his historic visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2019: “In this era when there is strong a temptation to discord between Christian and Islamic cultures, and considering religions as sources of conflict, “we wanted to give a further, clear and decisive sign, that instead it is possible to meet, it is possible to respect and dialogue.”

He emphasized that just tolerating someone is not enough. Human fraternity brings builds and helps a relationship grow. Religious people, people of faith as well as faith-based organizations are, and must be important channels of brotherhood over the barriers of separation. Religions are called to help us understand that the center of each person is outside of himself, that we are oriented towards the Most High and towards the other who is our neighbor. … Humanity therefore needs religion if it is to reach its goal. Religion is a compass that orients us to the good and steers us away from evil, which is always crouching at the door of a person’s heart (copied).

Pope Francis signed the historic "Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together" with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. The document promotes peace, interreligious dialogue, and mutual respect, marking a significant milestone in Catholic-Muslim relations.

The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions. There are three goals of interreligious dialogue:

God wants us to appreciate that no single religion has a monopoly over Him. Religious-based wars, fundamentalism and extremism misrepresent Him. The Muslim tradition of inviting people of other faiths to Iftar, the meal eaten after sunset during Ramadan, is highly commendable. The Inter-religious Council of Uganda is on a mission is to promote dialogue and harmonious co-existence amongst all faith groups and encourage non-violent resolution of conflicts. We do well, therefore, to use all available opportunities to engage more intensively in interfaith dialogue.