Vatican City, 26 March 2014 (VIS) –
“The Virgin Mary and Islamic-Christian dialogue” was the theme of
the address given by Fr. Miguel Angel Ayuso, secretary of the
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, during the eighth
meeting of the Islamic-Christian Prayer Meeting which took place
yesterday in Beirut, Lebanon, on 25 March, Solemnity of the
Annunciation, which is celebrated by both Christians and Muslims. It
is an important occasion and was declared a national holiday by the
Lebanese government in 2010. In his address, which focused both on
the figure of Mary and on the mission of the Pontifical Council for
Interreligious Dialogue, Fr. Ayuso emphasised that the feast of 25
March was “a true example of the co-existence between Muslims and
Christians that characterises Lebanese history, in the midst of so
many difficulties, and which also constitutes an important example
for many other nations”.
“Since Vatican Council II, the
Catholic Church recognises that Muslims honour the Virgin mother of
Jesus, Mary, and invoke her with piety. … Mary is mentioned various
times in the Koran. Respect for her is so evident that when she is
mentioned in Islam, it is usual to add 'Alayha l-salam' ('Peace be
upon her'). Christians also willingly join in this invocation. I must
also mention those shrines dedicated to Mary which welcome both
Muslims and Christians. In particular, here in Lebanon, how can we
forget the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa?”
“Devotion creates sentiments of
friendship: it is a phenomenon open to everyone. The cultural
experiences that our communities can share encourage collaboration,
solidarity and mutual recognition as sons and daughters of a single
God, members of the same human family. Therefore, the Church
addresses the followers of Islam with esteem. During the last fifty
years, a dialogue of friendship and mutual respect has been
constructed”.
With reference to the dialogue between
Muslims and Christians, he went on to explain that the Pontifical
Council for Interreligious Dialogue “seeks to establish regular
relationships with Muslim institutions and organisations, with the
aim of promoting mutual understanding and trust, friendship and,
where possible, collaboration. In fact, there exist agreements with
various Muslim institutions enabling the possibility of holding
periodical meetings, in accordance with the programmes and procedures
approved by both parties. With regard to the methods of
interreligious dialogue and, therefore, the dialogue between
Christians and Muslims, we must recall that dialogue is a two-way
form of communication. … It is based on witness of one's own faith
and, at the same time, openness to the religion of the other. It is
not a betrayal of the mission of the Church, and much less a new
method of conversion to Christianity. The document 'Dialogue and
Proclamation', published jointly by the Congregation for the
Evangelisation of Peoples and the Council for Interreligious Dialogue
in 1991, identifies four different forms of interreligious dialogue:
the dialogue of life, the dialogue of works, the dialogue of
theological exchange and the dialogue of religious experience. These
four forms demonstrate that it is not an experience confined to
specialists”.
Fr. Ayuso concluded by analysing the
role of Mary, in the light of the motto of the national holiday in
Lebanon, “Together around Mary, Our Lady”. “In the Apostolic
Exhortation 'Marialis Cultus', promulgated in 1974 by Pope Paul VI,
Mary is presented as 'the Virgin who listens', 'the Virgin who
prays', 'the Virgin in dialogue with God'. … But there is also the
image of a model of dialogue of seeking when, addressing the
Archangel Gabriel, she asks, 'How is it possible?'. Mary, a model for
Muslims and Christians, is also a model of dialogue, teaching us to
believe, not to close ourselves up in certainties, but rather to
remain open and available to others”.
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