Intervista È l’unico italiano tra i 138 «saggi» che hanno firmato la lettera dei musulmani alle Chiese. Ed è uno dei 5 incaricati di preparare l’incontro col Papa: «Un evento che farà crescere la sensibilità interreligiosa tra le genti del Corano». Parla Yahya Pallavicini DI GIORGIO PAOLUCCI È uno dei cinque «saggi» musulmani che tra pochi giorni si recherà in …

One might ask why it is important to understand the relation between the Leftist/Marxist – Islamist Alliance and the Emerging Movement among Churches and Mosques. It is because it indicates the movement of a historically conservative church and other organizations into the fold. These Emerging Church and Mosque Movements are the elephants in the pew. The Radical Islamist Movement has …

It sounds like the beginning of a good mystery novel — “a German Pope and a Saudi King were meeting privately behind the Vatican walls” — but, in fact, that is precisely what happened this week. For the first time ever, a reigning monarch of Saudi Arabia came to the Vatican to meet with the Pope. Not just any Pope; …

7 November 2007 THE historic exchange between Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Pope Benedict XVI came at strangely troubled times and should go some way in smoothening cross-faith interaction that has been injured in ways owing to current geo-politics. Things have calmed down considerably since the Pope angered Muslims and prompted agitation in many parts of the Western world …

Vatican works to fix damage from Islam comment ROME – Pope Benedict XVI and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia clasped hands at the Vatican yesterday in a cordial meeting, the first meeting ever between a pope and the Saudi monarch, who is entrusted to protect Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed and center of the Islamic world. The pair …

In the first such talks, the leaders emphasize the ‘importance of collaboration.’ ROME — Pope Benedict XVI met with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday at a time of strained relations between Islam and Christianity over global terrorism, the Iraq war and the lack of religious freedoms for nearly 1 million Roman Catholic migrant workers living in the Persian …

PARIS — Islam and the Muslim minority in France are taking central stage in the annual congress of the French Roman Catholic Church, with the election of a new Cardinal raising questions about the future of interfaith dialogue in the country. “This is the first time that the issue of French Muslims is discussed at great length at an official …

ROME — Pope Benedict XVI met with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday at a time of strained relations between Islam and Christianity over global terrorism, the Iraq war and the lack of religious freedoms for nearly 1 million Roman Catholic migrant workers living in the Persian Gulf state. It was the first meeting between a sitting Saudi monarch, …

Vatican City, Vatican (AHN) – After causing the anger of Muslims over his remarks on Islam and violence, Pope Benedict XVI met for the first time with Saudi Arabia’s King on Tuesday for inter-religious talks. Arrived in Rome Monday evening, a local newspaper said Abdullah invited the audience during his European visit. The Pope has mentioned his objective to get …

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Interreligious dialogue, peace in the Middle East and the life of Christians living in Saudi Arabia were on the agenda when Pope Benedict XVI met King Abdullah Aziz of Saudi Arabia. After his audience with the pope Nov. 6, the king also had a separate meeting with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state. In the …

Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) — Pope Benedict XVI and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah today held “cordial” talks, the first meeting between a pontiff and a leader of the kingdom and a step toward establishing diplomatic ties between the two states. The 30-minute conversation “provided an opportunity to consider questions close to the heart of both sides,” the Vatican said in a …

ROME, Nov. 6 — Pope Benedict XVI and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia clasped hands at the Vatican on Tuesday in the first meeting ever between a pope and the Saudi monarch, who is entrusted to protect Mecca, the birthplace of Mohammad and the center of the Islamic world. The two met for half an hour, speaking through interpreters, in …

I AM AMONG those religious persons and Christians who believe it’s possible to be firmly and deeply grounded in my own faith and also to be tolerant of other faiths and traditions. I’m able to affirm my commitment to Jesus Christ without suggesting you are damned if you don’t hold that commitment. I would go further: Having seen the way …

For now, only the experts are speaking, while the official response is studied. But meanwhile, cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Libyan theologian Aref Ali Nayed are exchanging a series of messages. Here are the complete texts ROMA, November 2, 2007 – They began a year ago, 38 of them, with an open letter to Benedict XVI one month after his lecture …

Christian leaders praise letter’s interreligious goodwill Perhaps it says something about the complexities of Christian/Muslim relations that a recent letter from 138 senior Islamic clerics and scholars to Christian leaders has drawn Catholic reactions ranging from cautious optimism to almost breathless enthusiasm, yet no one seems ready to predict that it will actually make any difference. Addressed to Pope Benedict …

Opinion Holy what? Compromise not far away Propaganda dictates that Islam has launched a holy war on America and Christianity. It appears that war lines are drawn between the two religious groups. I remember when Pope Benedict XVI referenced the crusades as the beginning of conflict between the two religions. While walking through the current events section of a bookstore, …

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, today held talks in Jerusalem with Israel’s Chief Rabbis. The Archbishop, accompanied by Bishop Suhail Dawani (Bishop in Jerusalem) and Bishop Michael Jackson (Bishop of Clogher), held the second in a series of annual discussions with Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar and Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger of Israel, accompanied by the Chief Rabbi of …

Jihad el-Khazen Al-Hayat – 31/10/07/ On Muslims and Christians – 3 Muslim religious scholars are trying to build bridges with the heads of Christian Churches by relying on common denominators to Islam and Christianity. The heads of Christian churches release yearly reports condemning the occupation and calling on the world Christians to lend support to the Palestinian people. Major American …

On Muslims and Christians – 2 While Muslim religious scholars and the heads of Christian communities are trying to build bridges between the believers – yesterday’s topic of discussion in this column – Israel and its agents in America, including the Christian Zionists, are trying to promote the myth of the clash of civilizations, instead of the clash of nationalities, …

Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After 138 Muslim scholars wrote to top Christian leaders highlighting shared religious values as a basis for working together for peace and understanding, a Vatican official raised questions about the possibilities for dialogue with Muslims. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the longtime Vatican diplomat who became president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in …

Even its most ardent opponents now concede grudgingly that religion is not about to whither away anytime soon. One hundred and perhaps two hundred years ago, there were hopes that this might come to pass, at least among the educated in the West. These hopes have died hard and for some it seems the disappointment is bitter indeed. Authors such …

In 1307, France’s King Philip IV owed a sizeable sum of money to the Knights Templar, the class of warrior-monks that functioned both as a powerful fighting force during the Crusades and a complex multinational lending network. Philip didn’t pay down the debt. Rather, he accused the Templars of heresy and burned their leader at the stake. Whether the Templars …

On Muslims and Christians – 1 The message addressed by Muslims religious scholars to the heads of Christian Churches is supposed to constitute a turning point in Muslim-Christian relations, but I fear that we get lost on the road, as the message has not received what it deserves in terms of interest and promotion in Arab and Western media that …

On October 11, a letter from the global Muslim community was sent to numerous Christian leaders. This wasn’t just a Hallmark greetings card; in-process for more than three years, it boasts 138 signatures from every branch of Islam in multiple countries. It’s titled, “A Common Word Between Us and You.” “If Muslims and Christians are not at peace,” the letter …

While Muslim scholars wait for an official Vatican response, more Catholic Islam experts have spoken out in favour of the scholars’ appeal for high-level talks between Muslim and Christian leaders. Five professors from the Vatican’s own Islam institute have described the appeal by 138 Muslim scholars as “a highly significant event” that showed “a new and creative attitude” towards the …

History never quite repeats itself, but — like a bad remake of a great movie — the news sometimes feels very old. That sense of déjà vu is hard to escape in Europe and the Middle East, because these are regions with long recorded histories, where almost anything that happens has some kind of precedent. It is easy to dismiss …

Working as a chaplain with the National Guard in Afghanistan in 2003, John Betlyon reached out to local mullahs, also known as Islamic clerics, who had negative views of Americans. Betlyon, lecturer in Jewish and religious studies, said the meetings helped to build bridges between the two cultures, and he still describes the situation as “amazing.” “They had heard all …

[Catholic News Service] Under grey skies and a cold rain, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged people to stand firm in their hope that God will hear their prayers for justice and peace. Arriving to celebrate Mass October 21 in Naples’ historic Piazza del Plebiscito, Pope Benedict stopped to embrace Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, …

Rome, 25 Oct. (AKI) – Five Christian clerics from Italy’s top Islamic studies institute have praised the 29-page letter to the Pope issued earlier this month by 138 scholars from every sect of Islam that warned the “survival of the world” is at stake if Muslims and Christians do not make peace. “We are convinced of the good faith of …

A call to evangelicals to respond to a significant Muslim overture. Muslim leaders who represent a broad spectrum of communities around the world have issued an open letter inviting Christians to work toward peace based on core teachings in our respective faiths: the unity of God, love of him, and love of neighbor. The Bible not only instructs us to …

Members of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI) of Rome, issued the following statement in response to the letter sent by 138 Muslim scholars to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders on October 11. A Common Word Between Us and You “An Open Letter and Call From Muslim Religious Leaders” to leaders of different Christian Churches …

From The Gathering Storm Blog ’ve been waiting to see the analysis of the letter from the 138 Muslim leaders call for common ground with Christians before I blogged on it. Many of the Christian leadership and political pundits shot from the hip and said this was a peaceful overture to non-Muslims and perhaps the beginning of a dialogue of …

Common word: Muslim theologians invite dialogue with Western counterparts. Now both sides need to act. Oct. 24, 2007, 8:46PM In a step that some scholars call unprecedented, 138 Muslim religious leaders sent an open letter to Christian leaders describing commonalities between the faiths’ core beliefs — and the grim consequences if they fail to live peaceably together. Although the letter’s …

A new twist has appeared in the back-and-forth between the Vatican and the Muslim scholars calling for a Christian-Islamic dialogue. It seems Vatican protocol may partly be responsible for holding up an official Catholic response. “I’m favourable to a quick response to the letter,” said Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, adding the Vatican still had “to study what kind of response to …

Something remarkable in Muslim-Christian relations happened this month, yet few Americans are aware of it. More than 130 Muslim religious scholars from more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and North America sent an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI and to some two dozen other leaders of Orthodox and Protestant churches. Overwhelmingly conciliatory and non-polemical, …

Difference between faiths and life-stances do not have to lead to division, but can be part of a rich blend of perspectives working for the common good, says a leading Christian service agency responding to a bridge building letter from Muslim scholars. Faithworks, a UK Christian agency with thousands of partners, has welcomed the letter ‘A Common Word Between Us …

The president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue says that the letter contains “new elements” and is “a positive signal” to be taken up. Vatican City (AsiaNews) – The Vatican will “certainly” respond to the open letter to Christian leaders, foremost to Pope Benedict XVI,  signed by 138 Muslim scholars, this according to Card Jean-Louis Tauran, President of …

ROME — The Vatican wants to reply as rapidly as possible to a Muslim call for inter-faith dialogue recently sent to Christian leaders, a senior cleric there said Tuesday. “I’m favorable to a rapid response to the letter,” Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, told the religious information agency I-Media. The letter, sent by 138 …

PARIS — Though welcoming an initiative by a galaxy of Muslim scholars for dialogue, the top Vatican official for inter-faith dialogue has admitted that real theological debate with Muslims was difficult because of they saw the Qur’an as the literal word of God and would not discuss it in depth. “Muslims do not accept that one can discuss the Qur’an …

PARIS — Several Muslim scholars are disappointed at the Vatican’s apathetic response to an earlier appeal for a high-level dialogue to bridge the Muslim-Christian gap, which is already supported by several non-Catholic leaders. “Muslims are still awaiting a proper response from His Holiness Pope Benedict,” said a new letter, reportedly signed by the same 138 signatories of the first, cited …

In reply to an unprecedented statement from Muslim clerics and scholars about the common ground between Christianity and Islam, Christian intellectuals, including nine Harvard professors, issued a letter this month responding to what many of them saw as a deeply significant gesture from the Muslim community. With 138 Muslim signatories, the September letter, “A Common Word Between Us and You,” …

Pope Benedict XVI and Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, yesterday condemned the use of religion to justify violence. “In a world wounded by conflicts, where violence is committed in God’s name, it is important to repeat that religion should not be a vehicle of hatred,” said the pope to an audience of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews and Zoroastrians. …

PARIS, Oct 22 (Reuters) – Muslim scholars pressing Christian churches for a high-level dialogue to improve inter-faith relations have urged Pope Benedict to publicly back their appeal already supported by several non-Catholic leaders. One of the 138 signatories to the unprecedented appeal told Benedict at a religious gathering in Naples on Sunday that the group was disappointed with what it …

Church of Scotland moderator to deliver annual Jane Haining Memorial Lecture, commemmorating the only Scot to have been slain in a Nazi concentration camp. As part of her ongoing tour of the Presbytery of Dumfries & Kirkcudbright, the Rt Rev Sheilagh Kesting, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, will deliver the annual Jane Haining Memorial Lecture …

In reply to an unprecedented statement from Muslim clerics and scholars about the common ground between Christianity and Islam, Christian intellectuals, including nine Harvard professors, issued a letter this month responding to what many of them saw as a deeply significant gesture from the Muslim community. With 138 Muslim signatories, the September letter, “A Common Word Between Us and You,” …

With a good deal of fanfare, a group of 138 Muslim clerics from around the globe released a statement to Christian leaders earlier this month calling for peace and understanding between the two religions. American and other Western newspapers and media lapped it up. “Muslim Leaders Reach Out to Christians” announced the Los Angeles Times. “Muslim Leaders Send Peace Message” …

It’s hard not to notice when the Pope shows up. And you can sometimes say the same when he doesn’t. Last fall, Pope Benedict XVI was a notable no-show at a September ceremony to mark 20 years since John Paul II had hosted a groundbreaking gathering of world religious leaders in Assisi, Italy. Some viewed the Pope’s absence as a …

EDTPARIS (Reuters) – The top Vatican official for Islam has praised a novel Muslim call for dialogue but said real theological debate with them was difficult as they saw the Koran as the literal word of God and would not discuss it in depth. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, in an interview on Friday with the French Catholic daily La Croix, also …

In the latest Tablet, Dr. John Borelli of Georgetown offers an analysis of last week’s unusual letter by 138 Muslim scholar to the Pope and other leaders of Christianity. The letter is unusual in the broad consensus across different Islamic groups and divides it represents, and it may be well one of the first times there is a broad-based response …

THE Archbishop of Canterbury and Israel’s two Chief Rabbis, speaking in Jerusalem on Wednesday, have responded to the call by Muslim scholars for world peace (News, 19 October). In a communiqué, Dr Williams, Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, and Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger said that Christians and Jews should respond jointly to the Muslim letter. “The ‘Common Word’, though addressed to …

Muslim Scholars Like George Costanza being tossed out of the loop for divulging Jerry Seinfeld’s secrets to his fiancee Susan, George Bush seems to be marching to the beat of his own drummer. Russia, China and Iran are just waiting for George Bush to go all in for the Middle East oil so that together they can give the United …

A blog about religion in the news from The Ledger’s religion editor and monkish scribe, Cary McMullen I doubt if she remembers me, but Beth Newman and I were both in graduate school together at Duke University. I became a journalist, she became professor of theology and ethics at Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va. She regularly writes opinion pieces …

MANILA, Philippines – “Journalists oftentimes seem unable to tell the difference between the collapse of civilization and a bicycle accident,” George Bernard Shaw once snorted. We’ve yanked all plugs on coverage of faceless Malacañang staffers stuffing wads of bills into the back pockets of all-too-willing officials. Fine. But would GBS recognize the ho-hum, inside-page reporting of a unique letter from …

On Oct. 11, a historic letter was sent out to the world’s Christian community. The letter was signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars and academics across the world. Titled “A Common Word Between Us and You,” it was addressed to Christian leaders of various denominations including Pope Benedict XVI, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams, …

I remember as a small boy going from door to door in our village collecting money for a missionary ship, the John Williams. It was taking God to the heathen of the East Indies, a distant realm to which the Good Lord, despite His all-seeing wisdom, had carelessly (and I thought excitingly) denied His presence. It never occurred to me …

Where’s the rest of it? That’s what one is left wondering after several readings of a curious statement issued yesterday by a curious assortment of Muslim scholars, religious leaders, and government functionaries. The statement’s timing is rather easier to grasp than its substance or purpose. It is being released the day before the first anniversary of the Open Letter to …

Vatican City, Oct 12, 2007 / 10:02 am (CNA) – More than 130 Muslim leaders, politicians, and scholars have addressed a letter to Pope Benedict XVI in an attempt to improve Christian-Muslim relations, BBC News reports. The letter, titled “A Common Word Between Us and You,” seeks to build on common ground shared between the two faiths.  It compares texts …

The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians,” an unprecedented document released yesterday states. An open letter from 138 leading scholars from a range of Islamic sects was sent to numerous Christian leaders, including Pope Benedict xvi, the patriarch of Constantinople and the archbishop of Canterbury. The letter called for greater harmony between the two religions. …

The survival of the world is at stake if Muslims and Christians cannot make peace with each other, Islamic scholars have told the Pope. In a letter addressed to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders, 138 prominent Muslim scholars from every sect of Islam urged Christian leaders “to come together with us on the common essentials of our two …

A group of Muslim spiritual leaders and scholars from countries including Iran and Pakistan are reaching out to their Christian counterparts amid boiling conflicts between those two worlds. In an open letter [PDF] addressed to church leaders including Pope Benedict XVI, the Muslims warn that “the future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians.” Muslims and Christians …

This letter, signed by more than 130 Muslim clerics and delivered to Pope Benedict is, on the surface, a “peace” gesture. Maybe these clerics are the “good” guys, standing up to the fanatic killers who speak in the name of their religion. But maybe they are also following a millennia-old pattern of Muslims who argue for a temporary truce or …

Senior Muslim leaders have written to the heads of all Christian churches proposing a solid base upon which the two global faiths can co-operate in creating peace and understanding in the world. The basis of the letter is the shared belief of both Muslims and Christians in the principles of love of one God and love of the neighbour. The …

On Friday, which was the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Fitr, a letter from 138 international Muslim leaders was sent to more than two dozen Christian leaders. The 15-page letter, plus another 10 pages or so of footnotes, “A Common Word Between Us and You,” sets out two principles the two faiths have in common. Using numerous citations from the …

Scores of Muslim clerics, theologians and academics issued an open letter yesterday to all Christian leaders saying the two religions need to work more closely together, given that they share the basic principles of worshiping one God and loving thy neighbor. In sweeping terms, the letter notes that 55 percent of the world’s population is either Christian or Muslim, “making …

Scores of Muslim clerics, theologians and academics issued an open letter yesterday to all Christian leaders saying the two religions need to work more closely together, given that they share the basic principles of worshiping one God and loving thy neighbor. In sweeping terms, the letter notes that 55 percent of the world’s population is either Christian or Muslim, “making …

The Islamic and Christian worlds must establish a peace to safeguard the future of the world, Muslim leaders have told Pope Benedict XVI. Some 138 scholars from every sect of Islam have addressed a letter to the pontiff and other Christian leaders emphasising the similarities between the two faiths and urging Christian heads to “come together with us on the …

First, remember that Allah permits Muslims to lie to further the Muslim cause of Islam World Rule. Therefore, Muslims will reach out in an appearance of peace in order to lull the enemy into thinking that Muslims are telling the truth. The enemy buys into that reach out and then is taken in by the Allah condoned lie.  With that, …

A letter the world’s Muslim leaders sent to Pope Benedict and the heads of other Christian churches this week could herald a breakthrough in interfaith relations, said professor Mahan Mirza of Chico State University’s department of religious studies. “It delights me,” Mirza said of the letter that was made public Thursday. Signed by 138 of the most senior Muslim leaders …

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The top Vatican official in charge of relations with Islam on Friday welcomed an unprecedented call from 138 Muslim scholars for peace and understanding between their religions. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran told Vatican Radio he found the letter, released on Thursday, “very interesting,” in part because it was signed by both Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims and made …

CNSNews.com, VA CNSNews.com International Editor October 12, 2007 (CNSNews.com) – Muslims and Christians believe in the same God — despite differences over the nature of Jesus Christ — and they should focus on “the common essentials of our two religions” for the sake of world peace, 138 Islamic representatives said in an open letter addressed to Christian leaders. “As Muslims, …

Christian leaders have welcomed Thursday’s letter from 138 Islamic scholars calling for peace and understanding between Islam and Christianity. As reported yesterday in Christian Today, the letter to various world Christian leaders, saw Muslim scholars from around the world say that finding common ground between the world’s largest religions was not simply a matter for polite dialogue between religious leaders. …

Vatican, 10/12 – More than 130 Muslim scholars have written to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders urging greater understanding between the two faiths.  The letter says that world peace could depend on improved relations between Muslims and Christians. It identifies the principles of accepting only one god and living in peace with one`s neighbours as common ground between …

Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi) More than 100 senior Muslim leaders from around the world sent a letter to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders proposing similarities between the faiths as a basis for peace and understanding. “Finding common ground between Muslims and Christians is not simply a matter for polite ecumenical dialogue between selected religious leaders,” said …

VATICAN CITY: A recent letter from Muslim scholars to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders is a “very encouraging sign,” a top Vatican cardinal said Friday. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who heads the pontifical council for inter-religious dialogue, described the letter, signed by 138 scholars, as “very interesting,” because it “comes from both Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims.” The letter …

We wholly endorse the open letter from more than 130 Muslim scholars to the pope and other Christian leaders calling for greater understanding between the two faiths. Issued to mark Eid Al-Fitr, it is an effort to reach out to the other in generous faith to built new bridges. Muslim-Christian dialogue, which has dozens of organizations and institutions to promote …

The second letter of a group of Muslim notables to Christian leaders is a case-study in both the state of religious thinking and the democratisation of sovereignty in the global arena, says Faisal Devji. 18 – 10 – 2007 If the unprecedented global protests over insulting depictions of the Prophet Mohammed in a book, newspaper or a papal speech tell …

At first sight, it was not the most auspicious trigger for a dialogue between Christians and Muslims. In a speech at Regensburg University 13 months ago, Pope Benedict XVI quoted the medieval Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaeogus as telling a Persian interlocutor: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and …

Beirut (AsiaNews) – La lettera inviata da 138 personalità islamiche al papa e ai capi cristiani è un primo passo positivo verso un dialogo, che ha però bisogno di divenire più universale e più concreto. La lettera si situa in modo esplicito come prolungamento della prima, inviata proprio un anno fa a Benedetto XVI, quale risposta al suo discorso magistrale …

Given the reaction to the apocalyptic undertones of the open letter from Muslim scholars sent to the Vatican last week, one might have thought the ensuing clamour would have had the Pope rushing for his quill in reply. But it seems Pope Benedict XVI was busy with other matters. In a meeting with the South Korean ambassador to the Vatican, …