Archive for September, 2008
The following message was sent by Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue to Muslim friends on the occasion of the end of Ramadan.
Christians and Muslims:
Together for the dignity of the family
Dear Muslim friends,
1. As the end of the month of Ramadan approaches, and following a now well-established tradition, I am pleased to send you the best wishes of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. During this month Christians close to you have shared your reflections and your family celebrations; dialogue and friendship have been strengthened. Praise be to God!
2. As in the past, this friendly rendez-vous also gives us an opportunity to reflect together on a mutually topical subject which will enrich our exchange and help us to get to know each other better, in our shared values as well as in our differences. This year we would like to propose the subject of the family.
3. One of the documents of the Second Council Vatican, Gaudium et Spes, which deals with the Church in the modern world, states: ‘The well-being of the individual person and of human and Christian society is intimately linked with the healthy condition of that community produced by marriage and family. Hence Christians and all men who hold this community in high esteem sincerely rejoice in the various ways by which men today find help in fostering this community of love and perfecting its life, and by which parents are assisted in their lofty calling. Those who rejoice in such aids look for additional benefits from them and labour to bring them about.’ (n. 47)
4. These words give us an opportune reminder that the development of both the human person and of society depends largely on the healthiness of the family! How many people carry, sometimes for the whole of their life, the weight of the wounds of a difficult or dramatic family background? How many men and women now in the abyss of drugs or violence are vainly seeking to make up for a traumatic childhood? Christians and Muslims can and must work together to safeguard the dignity of the family, today and in the future.
5. Given the high esteem in which both Muslims and Christians hold the family, we have already had many occasions, from the local to the international level, to work together in this field. The family, that place where love and life, respect for the other and hospitality are encountered and transmitted, is truly the ‘fundamental cell of society.’
6. Muslims and Christians must never hesitate, not only to come to the aid of families in difficulty, but also to collaborate with all those who support the stability of the family as an institution and the exercise of parental responsibility, in particular in the field of education. I need only remind you that the family is the first school in which one learns respect for others, mindful of the identity and the difference of each one. Interreligious dialogue and the exercise of citizenship cannot but benefit from this.
7. Dear friends, now that your fast comes to an end, I hope that you, with your families and those close to you, purified and renewed by those practices dear to your religion, may know serenity and prosperity in your life! May Almighty God fill you with His Mercy and Peace!
Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran
President
Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata
Secretary
[Translations provided by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue]
Posted by Dave
September 23rd, 2008
Dialogue Australasia will be holding their next conference 15-17 April 2009 at the Old Parliament Buildings in Canberra. The theme is “Teaching the Abrahamic Religions: Christianity in Dialogue with Judaism & Islam”.
Dialogue Australiasia is an organisation comprising mainly Christian schools in Australia and New Zealand. Their purpose is to “help young people become more fully human by nuturing and promoting the development of a broad-based academic approach to the teaching of Values, Philosophy & Religious Studies”, and their vision is to “be a vibrant organisation that brings together educators who have a shared sense of the importance of our purpose, and a willingess to work together to achieve its objectives.”
According to the conference blurb, “Relations between Christians, Jews and Muslims are among the most divisive, challenging and important issues in the world today. Despite their often violent differences, each share a common heritage as the Children of Abraham and the worship of one God. In a time when understanding these three religions has taken on a new and critical urgency, this important conference will equip educators with practical strategies and resources to enable students to explore the similarities, differences and relationships between the Abrahamic faith traditions.”
For more information, see the Conference Information page.
Dave
September 19th, 2008
Bishop Michael Putney, the Bishop of Townsville, spoke recently at an Iftar dinner jointly hosted by the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Australian Intercultural Society. He argues that given the dominant secular society that we live in, it is difficult for people of faith to flourish, pass on their beliefs to their children, and support and sustain each other. In order to move beyond tolerance, as religious people we need to have harmonious relationships with people other faiths.
It is a truism now in inter-religious relations that there can be no peace in the world unless there is peace between the World Religions. Unless we religious people have harmonious relationships, and I would argue unless we have real friendship between us and not just tolerance and respect, other forces, political and economic, will be able to use us to further their own causes which bring division and pain to our world.
His speech makes an interesting read … thanks to The Ecumenical and Interfaith Newsblog for the reference.
Dave
September 16th, 2008
Various authors have created a fearful climate arguing that a “clash” of religions and civilisations is inevitable. But many are hopeful that instead, genuine justice and peace can prevail. Kuala Lumpur is a significant location in this given that it stands at the crossroads of Chinese, Indian and South-East Asian cultures, and at the contact point between Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and Judaism. Edward DeBono many years wrote that KL and Malaysia would be critical to watch as an indicator of future global trends, and he even set up office there to watch first hand what developed.
So its great to see the interfaith work of Just International, which has involvement of Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists, with a long history of Jewish relations too. I don’t agree with all their analysis but at least they have tried hard to present a balanced/multi-viewed approach to news.
Their website is well worth exploring for great insights into global issues, and for positive news of movements for justice and peace. Currently they have insights about Georgia, Kashmir, Thailand, Sudan, Orissa and most of the Middle East. Just tends to focus on anywhere multinationals and governments are using religion to cover-up their violence and oppression. They also have some good news stories of multifaith groups building for the future.
Fr. John
September 3rd, 2008
The World Council of Churches has announced an international ecumenical debate on “The Promised Land”, from 10-14 September in Bern, Switzerland. Sixty-five Christian theologians “will discuss the concept of the ‘Promised Land’ and related theological issues with a view to help more churches become advocates for a just peace.”
“One of the main goals we hope to achieve is to deepen church understanding of biblical promises concerning the land and its peoples. This will require a holistic approach to the biblical message, promoting common understanding of how theological issues may be related to the conflict,” says Michel Nseir, programme executive for the WCC special focus on Middle East. “Different approaches to biblical and theological issues should not prevent common action for a just peace.”
That’s all very interesting from my perspective, however without Muslim and Jewish involvement the prospect of real progress being made is slim. As my favourite local refugee organisation says, “nothing about us without us!”
The WCC’s “Public Witness: Addressing power, affirming peace” project has laudable goals and some great programmes such as the Decade to Overcome Violence. However, the rubber meets the road at the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, and it seems like a very one-sided road to this Jewish reader. By effectively taking sides and not acknowledging different perspectives, the Council has turned itself into a political tool rather than an instrument of peacemaking dialogue. To my mind, that’s moving backwards, not forwards, as such exclusion can only lead to more violence on both sides.
For a slightly different but aligned (and more scholarly) perspective, see Frank Crüsemann’s article recently published in Jewish-Christian Relations, 60 Years: The Church and the State of Israel.
Dave
September 2nd, 2008
ACU will host the seventh Abrahamic Conference later this year. The announcement from the Australian Intercultural Society says:
The Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam need to listen to and work together with indigenous voices to recognise injustice and to explore common traditions of reconciliation and moving forward in a new direction. The Abraham Conference provides a practical way forward for people of all faiths and backgrounds to become aware of our responsibilities and thus work towards reconciliation.
Pat Dodson, Mark Leibler AC, and Zuleyha Keskin will speak.
The conference will be held at the Central Hall of the Australian Catholic University 22-24 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, Melbourne on Sunday 19 October 2008, 7-9pm.
September 1st, 2008