U.S. Copts Association

Vatican, Iranian representatives call for mutual respect between Christians, Muslims.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday met an Iranian Muslim delegation taking part in a seminar on “faith and reason” in Christianity and Islam, the Vatican said.

The delegation was led by the head of Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation, Mahdi Mostafavi, the Holy See said in a communique.

The pope was “especially pleased with the choice of theme” for the seminar, co-led by Mostafavi and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

The participants issued a joint statement afterward saying that “faith and reason are both gifts of God to mankind” and “intrinsically non-violent.”

They added: “Neither reason nor faith should be used for violence; unfortunately, both of them have been sometimes misused to perpetuate violence.”

The Catholic and Muslim representatives also urged that discourse on the world’s different religions avoid easy “generalisations.”

“Christians and Muslims … are called to mutual respect, thereby condemning derision of religious beliefs,” they said, adding: “Religious traditions cannot be judged on the basis of a single verse or a passage present in their respective holy books.”

Last year, a group of 138 Muslim scholars from around the world made a joint call for dialogue with Christians, especially Catholics.

One result of the unprecedented appeal was the setting up in March of a permanent office for dialogue with Islam at the Vatican.

This week’s three-day seminar was the sixth bringing together Iranian and Vatican representatives.

The final communique:

1. Faith and reason are both gifts of God to mankind.

2. Faith and reason do not contradict each other, but faith might in some cases be above reason, but never against it.

3. Faith and reason are intrinsically non-violent. Neither reason nor faith should be used for violence; unfortunately, both of them have been sometimes misused to perpetrate violence. In any case, these events cannot question either reason or faith.

4. Both sides agreed to further co-operate in order to promote genuine religiosity, in particular spirituality, to encourage respect for symbols considered to be sacred and to promote moral values.

5. Christians and Muslims should go beyond tolerance, accepting differences, while remaining aware of commonalities and thanking God for them. They are called to mutual respect, thereby condemning derision of religious beliefs.

6. Generalization should be avoided when speaking of religions. Differences of confessions within Christianity and Islam, diversity of historical contexts are important factors to be considered.

7. Religious traditions cannot be judged on the basis of a single verse or a passage present in their respective holy Books. A holistic vision as well as an adequate hermeneutical method is necessary for a fair understanding of them.

The participants expressed their satisfaction with the level of the presentations and the debates as well as the open and friendly atmosphere during the colloquium.

The participants were honoured and pleased to be received at the end of the colloquium by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, who was particularly satisfied with the choice of the theme and the venue of the meeting.

The next colloquium will be held in Tehran within two years, preceded by a preparatory meeting.