News
Death of Raimon Pannikar
Raimon Panikkar passed away in Tavertet on the 26th of August, 2010. Unfortunately, this news had been anticipated for some time, as Raimon himself notified us that he was retiring from public life in a letter written at the beginning of the year, which received a great deal of media attention. In spite of the fact that he died during the summer, recognition for his work since his death has been overwhelming. Much has been said about the consistency between his thoughts and actions, his struggle for interculturalism and dialogue, and the cultural and theological bridge that his encyclopaedic work - published in Catalan - signifies between the East and West. It has also been said repeatedly and deservedly that we have lost the most well-known Catalan thinker in the world, along with Ramon Llull, with whom he shared an interest and the practice of interculturalism. Fortunately, Raimon left his theoretical work behind, and has given us the example of his life, including the path begun by his Foundation.
It is certain that the immense legacy of Raimon Panikkar will guide us for a long time in following the path with which we can, to quote him directly, continue "contributing to solve the problem of peace. This problem should not overcome us, or inspire fear in us. Quite the opposite."
You can read an entry on Panikkar, his relationship with the ICIP and his thoughts on peace in the ICIP blog, entitled Raimon Panikkar: the fight for peace and the ICIP. The complete text is available at: http://blocs.gencat.cat/blocs/AppPHP/ICIP/?p=258#more-258.