Catholic, Jewish leaders urge end to violence perpetrated 'in the name of God'

(March 04, 2011) Marking 40 years of dialogue between Catholics and Jews, leaders of both communities on Wednesday denounced persecution and violence against religious minorities and expressed support for pro-democracy movements across North Africa and the Middle East. The comments came in a statement by the International Catholic Jewish Liaison Committee at the end of its Feb. 27-March 2 meeting in Paris. The Vatican published the statement on Thursday, a day after Pakistan’s Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic, was assassinated for his opposition to the country’s controversial blasphemy laws that rights activists argue are often abused to settle personal scores. "In many parts of the world, minorities, especially religious minorities, are discriminated against, threatened by unjust restrictions of their religious liberty, and even subjected to persecution and murder," the statement said. Jews and Catholics said they deplored "every act of violence perpetrated in the name of religion as a complete corruption of the very nature of a genuine relationship with God." As for the unrest that has spread across North Africa and parts of the Middle East, the participants said that "millions of human beings are expressing their thirst for dignity and freedom." "Participants were especially sensitive to the call of the younger generation for true freedom and full participation in their societies," it said. The International Catholic Jewish Liaison Committee is formed of Catholics named by the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with Jews and of the representatives of 11 Jewish organizations, including the World Jewish Congress and the Israel Jewish Council for Interreligious Relations.