Vatican City, 22 April 2015 (VIS) –
The following is the full text of a Declaration published this
morning by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue:
“The events of recent times cause
many of us to ask: 'Is there still space for dialogue with Muslims?'.
The answer is: yes, more than ever.
Firstly because the great majority of
Muslims themselves do not identify with the current acts of
barbarism.
Unfortunately today the word
'religious' is often associated with the word 'violence', whereas
believers must demonstrate that religions are required to be heralds
of peace and not violence.
To kill in the name of religion is not
only an offence to God, but it is also a defeat for humanity. On 9
January 2006 Pope Benedict XVI, addressing the Diplomatic Corps and
speaking about the danger of clashes between civilisations and in
particular organised terrorism, affirmed that 'No situation can
justify such criminal activity, which covers the perpetrators with
infamy, and it is all the more deplorable when it hides behind
religion, thereby bringing the pure truth of God down to the level of
the terrorists’ own blindness and moral perversion'.
Unfortunately in recent days we have
witnessed a radicalisation of community and religious discourse, with
the consequent risks of increasing hatred, violence, terrorism and
the growing and commonplace stigmatisation of Muslims and their
religion.
In such a context we are called upon to
strengthen fraternity and dialogue. Believers have formidable
potential for peace, if we believe that man was created by God and
that humanity is a single family; and even more so if we believe, as
we Christians do, that God is Love. Continuing to engage in dialogue,
even when experiencing persecution, can become a sign of hope.
Believers do not wish to impose their vision of humanity and of
history, but rather seek to propose respect for differences, freedom
of thought and religion, the protection of human dignity, and love
for truth.
We must have the courage to review the
quality of family life, the methods of teaching religion and history,
and the contain of sermons in our places of worship. Above all,
family and schools are the key to ensuring that tomorrow’s world
will be based on mutual respect and brotherhood.
Uniting our voice to that of Pope
Francis, we say: 'any violence which seeks religious justification
warrants the strongest condemnation because the Omnipotent is the God
of life and peace. The world expects those who claim to adore God to
be men and women of peace who are capable of living as brothers and
sisters, regardless of ethnic, religious, cultural or ideological
differences' (Ankara, 28 November 2014)”.
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