Catholic and Muslim Cooperation in promoting justice
November 22, 2012: The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (P.C.I.D.)
and the Centre for Interreligiousialogue (C.I.D.), of the Islamic Culture and Relations
Organization (I.C.R.O.), held their Eighth Colloquium in Rome from 19th–21st
November 2012, under the joint presidency of His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran,
President of the P.C.I.D. and of His Excellency Dr. Mohammad Bagher Korramshad, President
of the I.C.R.O.
The theme of the Colloquium was “Catholic and Muslim Cooperation
in promoting justice in the contemporary world”. This theme was developed in four
sub-themes, from the point of view of Catholics and of Shi‘i Muslims: 1) The
concept of justice; 2) Justice for the human person; 3) Justice for the different
constituents of society; 4) Justice for the entire human family.
The Colloquium
took place in a friendly atmosphere, and its work included the giving of papers and
discussions about their contents. Both sides expressed their awareness of and concern
for current challenges, including the economic crisis, the environmental issue, the
weakening of the family as a basic institution of society and threats to world peace.
The participants, recognising both areas of commonality and difference, focussed on
common ground and shared values:
1. The belief we share in the One God who
created all things gives each of us a holistic understanding of justice. The various
spheres of its application are inter-related: personal, communitarian, social, political,
economic, cultural and judicial. 2. Justice as a virtue based on human dignity
requires the right exercise of reason and the illumination of God. Recognition of,
and respect for, freedom of conscience, inter alia, are conditions of justice in our
societies. 3. The dynamic nature of the concept of justice allows it to be adapted
to meet the new challenges of the contemporary world. 4. The responsibility of
religious leaders, institutions and, indeed, every believer to denounce injustice
and oppression in all their forms and to promote justice all around the world. We
believe that our religions possess resources which can inspire people to work to make
justice and peace a reality. 5. The demand that, for the sake of the promotion
of justice in today’s world, Muslims and Christians continue to deepen their understanding
of one another through ongoing dialogue and cooperation. 6. The need to take the
fruits of our meeting and communicate them to the people of our respective communities
and societies so that they can have a real effect in the world.
The participants
were pleased and honoured to be received at the end of the meeting by His Holiness
Pope Benedict XVI, who greeted and encouraged them to continue on the path of an authentic
and fruitful dialogue.The next colloquium, preceded by a preparatory meeting, will
take place in Tehran in two years.