Catholic san Francisco
(CNS PHOTO/L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS)
Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
Pope Benedict XVI with ambassadors of Islamic nations and Italian Islamic leaders in a room at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Sept. 25.
Pope meets with Muslim leaders; calls dialogue ‘a vital necessity’ By Catholic News Service CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Meeting with Islamic ambassadors, representatives and clerics earlier this week, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his deep respect for Muslims, pledged to continue dialogue, and said Islamic and Christian leaders should cooperate to curb violence. The Pontiff, who invited the Muslim representatives to his residence at Castel Gandolfo Sept. 25, told the leaders that the dialogue between Christians and Muslims “cannot be reduced to an optional extra. It is, in fact, a vital necessity, on which in large measure our future depends.” The pope said, “Faithful to the teachings of their own religious traditions, Christians and Muslims must learn to work together, as indeed they already do in many common undertakings, in order to guard against all forms of intolerance and to oppose all manifestations of violence,” the pope said. In part, the encounter at the pope’s summer residence was designed to soothe Muslim resentment over a recent papal speech that cited a historical criticism of Islam and the concept of holy war. The pope later distanced himself from the quoted material and said he was sorry Muslims had been offended. Addressing the Islamic representatives, the pope
alluded only briefly to the earlier speech. Instead, he focused on assuring Muslim communities that his papacy was not backtracking on the dialogue opened by the Second Vatican Council and developed in large part by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II. The pope expressed his “esteem and profound respect” for Muslim believers and said he wanted to continue to build bridges, especially between Muslims and Christians. Productive dialogue, he said, will be based on mutual knowledge, which “with joy recognizes the religious values that we have in common and, with loyalty, respects the differences.” He said historical animosities should be left behind. The lessons of the past, he said, should help Christians and Muslims seek “paths of reconciliation” that lead to respect for individual identity and freedom. In that regard, Pope Benedict cited Pope John Paul on the important issue of reciprocal respect for religious rights, quoting from a speech the late pope delivered to Muslims in Morocco: “Respect and dialogue require reciprocity in all spheres, especially in that which concerns basic freedoms, more particularly religious freedom.” The pope said that in the current world situation it was imperative that Christians and Muslims join to promote human dignity and the rights that flow from that dignity.
“When threats mount up against people and against peace, by recognizing the central character of the human person and by working with perseverance to see that human life is always respected, Christians and Muslims manifest their obedience to the Creator,” he said. The pope closed his talk by recalling that Muslims worldwide were about to begin the spiritual month of Ramadan, and he prayed that they be granted “serene and peaceful lives.” When he finished, he was warmly applauded. The meeting was a formal audience and not a closeddoor exchange of opinions. In attendance were ambassadors from predominantly Muslim countries and other Islamic representatives based in Italy. According to the Vatican, participants in the meeting included heads of mission from Kuwait, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lebanon, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Senegal, Algeria, Morocco, Albania, the Arab League, Syria, Tunisia, Libya, Iran and Azerbaijan. Also present were 14 members of the Islamic Council of Italy and representatives from the Italian Islamic Cultural Center and the Office of the World Muslim League. After words of welcome by the head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, French Cardinal VITAL NECESSITY, page 4
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Opus Dei meeting . . . . . . . 3 Education guide . . . . . . . 8-9 Archbishop’s homily. . . . . 14 Commentary . . . . . . . . . . 15 Scripture and reflection . . . 16 Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
News-in-brief ~ Pages 4-5 ~ September 29, 2006
Respect Life Sunday ~ Pages 10-12 ~
Speaker on poverty ~ Page 13 ~
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
Classified ads. . . . . . . . 18-19
www.catholic-sf.org VOLUME 8
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No. 27