Word out of Rome says a meeting between Catholics and Muslims is planned in this spring to start a dialogue between the two faiths.
Pope Benedict proposed the encounter as his official response to an open letter addressed to him and other Christian leaders in October by 138 Muslim scholars from around the world. The letter urged Christians and Muslims to develop their common ground of belief in one God.
The head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that three representatives of the scholars would come to Rome in February or March to prepare for the meeting.
No official date has been given but you can be sure eyes will be on Rome in the spring. It will be interesting to see what happens as Pope Benedict will be the lone representative for worldwide Christians. I'm hoping this is this finally a chance, but my fear is the more radical elements of both Christianity and Islam will reject anything that come out of the historic meeting.
It's refreshing to know that Christians still have a global representative in Benedict and he that can prayerfully dialogue with those who reject Christian beliefs. Let us all withhold judgement and approach this historic meeting with an open heart and mind. This is the time for all believers to rally behind the efforts of the Vatican.
3 comments:
The sad thing is that most "moderate" Muslims venerate the Virgin Birth and Mary as the mother of Jesus. They also believe that Jesus was a prophet of God before Mohammed. Sadly, that branch of Islam has been superseded by the branch that believes in murdering anyone who doesn't swear unquestioned and unshakable allegiance to Allah.
THAT is the wing that His Holiness needs to reach out to!
Assuming they don't cut your hand off when you reach out to them...
If someone doesn't reach out to people like like how will they ever be led back to the truth????
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