Vatican’s Id-al-Fitr Message on Overcoming Violence

(August 27, 2010) The Vatican is inviting Muslims and Christians to join together to put an end to violence among followers of different religions and to open their hearts to mutual forgiveness and reconciliation, for a peaceful and fruitful coexistence. This message was sent by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter Religious Dialogue was released on Friday on the occasion of the Muslim feast of Id-al-Fitr that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. “Christians and Muslims: Together in overcoming violence among followers of different religions,” is the theme of this year’s festival scheduled for September 9^th in most countries depending on the citing of the moon the previous night. The message was signed by Council President, Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran and his Secretary Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata says that it is a pressing subject, at least in certain areas of the world today. The message says that there are many causes for violence among believers of different religious traditions, including: the manipulation of the religion for political or other ends; discrimination based on ethnicity or religious identity; divisions and social tensions. Ignorance, poverty, underdevelopment are also direct or indirect sources of violence among as well as within religious communities. The message calls on the civil and religious authorities offer their contributions to remedy the situations for the sake of the common good of all society. The message invites every one to recognize what we have in common and to respect differences. The message invites every one to recognize and respect the dignity and the rights of each human being, and to recall the importance of education towards respect, dialogue and fraternity in the various educational arenas: at home, in the school, in churches and mosques.