HUMAN AND RELIGIOUS VALUES SHARED BY CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS

VATICAN CITY, 20 MAY 2011 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies of Amman, Jordan held their second Colloquium in Rome from 18 to 19 May. The meeting was presided over by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the pontifical council, and by Prof. Kamel Abu Jaber, director of the institute.

  The theme of the Colloquium was "Human and Religious Values Shared by Christians and Muslims for a Common Education".

  According to a communique made public today, the participants highlighted the following points:

  "1) Christians and Muslims share basic human values like the sacred character of human life, human dignity, and the fundamental inalienable rights deriving from it.

  2) As for the religious values, some of them are common to Christians and Muslims, meanwhile others are specific of each community. It is therefore important to point out commonalities and to identify differences. Respect for differences is in fact an important condition for an authentic dialogue.

  3) Education, religious in particular, should not form identities in antagonism or in conflict, but on the contrary, while helping the youth to be well rooted in their own religious identity, it should favor the formation of identities open to other identities.

  4) A privileged space of common education is that of the schools, institutions and universities, private and public, where Christian and Muslim children and youth study together. Such an experience is to be conserved and cherished, also because it gives the occasion to create strong and permanent friendships".

  The communique concluded with the information that the two parties agreed to meet again within two years and that a preparatory meeting will precede the colloquium.
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