First Catholic-Muslim Meeting in Russia

Russian Christian and Muslim leaders praised a recent conference on dialogue between the two religions, emphasizing the importance of understanding, dialogue and tolerance. "In the present prevailing context between the religions of the world, the conference takes on an extraordinary relevance, " The Universe newspaper reported on Tuesday, November 29, quoting the Catholic Archbishop of Moscow. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz urged different religions to respond jointly to the more dangerous times ahead in a "worthy and appropriate manner." "It is our moral obligation and our civic duty," stressed the Catholic prelate. For the first time in Russia, representatives of the Catholic Church and Islamic scholars formally gathered on Thursday, November 24, to discuss differences and what they have in common. The meeting, entitled "Islam and Christianity: The Path to Dialogue," took place in the main mosque in Moscow to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's declaration "Nostra Aetate," on the relationship between the Catholic Church and non-Christian religions. Passed by a vote of 2,221 to 88 of the assembled bishops, the declaration was promulgated on October 28, 1965 by Pope Paul VI. Nostra Aetate reaffirmed the unity of the origin of all people, and the fact that they all return to God; hence their final goal is also one. New Chapter Ravil Gainutdin, president of the Mufti Council of Russia, said that forty years ago the age of dialogue and unity between faiths began. "For the first time in the history of Christian-Muslim relations, the Church saw in Muslims -- not enemies or heretics but participants with equality of rights in relations between humanity," he noted. Gainutdin stressed that "Nostra Aetate" declaration laid the basis for reciprocal cooperation between Catholics and Muslims on a world scale. He paid, in this respect, tribute to late Pope John Paul II of the Vatican. "We Muslims recognize in the person of John Paul II a great religious reformer, who greatly influenced the spread of the idea of the Second Vatican Council, and the dialogue between religions." The pope was an untiring advocate of Christian unity and inter-religious dialogue. Father Igor Byzhanov, secretary for Inter-Christian Relations of the Department of Religious Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, said the principles of "Nostra Aetate" are more timely today than ever in the life of Europe. "If there is love at the base of relations between different religions, then there will be no room for enmity, extremism and terrorism," he said. Way Out In a declaration signed at the meeting, the religious leaders observed that "the world will not improve by resolving its problems only in the limits of secularism." Kondrusiewicz criticized the fact that the modern world has become "ever more secular and lives as if God did not exist, and, on the other, it implores religious leaders: Help us, all our hope is in you!" He went on: "Though, unfortunately, the hope in religions to solve world problems has not given the expected results, we are obliged to teach the world, stained by inequality, moral relativism, xenophobia, corruption, interminable bellicose conflicts and terrorism, that reciprocal dialogue and tolerance between different beliefs is the way to cure world problems," he said. The declaration stated that the participants were convinced that "every man has the right to freedom of conscience and to worship according to his religious beliefs." It underlined that extremism is "foreign to the religious character, and almighty God does not bless violence and terrorism." The declaration maintained that understanding, dialogue and tolerance between different beliefs "have a way of healing the problems of the world." According to The Universea, a Catholic newspaper, the declaration promoted a new understanding between Catholics and Muslim believers, "who worship the one God, living and subsistent, merciful and almighty".

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