Catholic-Muslim Seminar opens in Vatican, aiming for peace
(Nov.04, 2008):- The first seminar held by the Catholic-Muslim Forum has begun at
the Vatican, inspired by the shared conviction that there will be no peace in the
world without peace between Muslims and Christians. The Nov. 4-6 seminar brings together
58 Catholic and Muslim religious authorities, experts and advisors, 29 from each side. French
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious
dialogue heads the Catholic side. Participants from the council also include Indonesian
Divine Word Father Markus Solo, desk officer for Christian-Muslim dialogue in Asia.
Other members include Bishop Andrew Francis of Multan, Pakistan, and three Jesuits.
Mustafa Ceric, grand mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, leads the Muslim representatives
from countries including Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Philippines,
Saudi Arabia and Turkey. For the first two days of closed-door sessions, participants
are scheduled to discuss themes based on presentations given from both Catholic and
Muslim perspectives. Tuesday's theme is “Theological and Spiritual Foundations of
Love of God, Love of Neighbor,” while Wednesday's focus is on “Human Dignity and Mutual
Respect.” On the final day, participants are scheduled to have an audience with
Pope Benedict XVI and a public session at Pontifical Gregorian University, where a
joint declaration is due be read out. With one-third of the world's population embracing
Christianity and one-fifth embracing Islam, these two religions account for more than
half the people in the world.