| [Message
en Français] - [Messaggio
in Italiano] - [Message
in Arabic]
Christians and Muslims: in confident dialogue
aimed at solving together the challenges of our world
Dear Muslim friends,
1. I am happy to address this message to you for the first time
as President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,
and to extend the Council’s warmest greetings as you celebrate
the conclusion of the fast of Ramadan. I wish you peace, tranquillity
and joy in your hearts, your homes and your countries. These good
wishes echo those which His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI expressed
personally at the beginning of Ramadan to the diplomats accredited
to the Holy See from countries with Muslim majorities, to those
from other countries that are members and observers of the Organization
of the Islamic Conference, and to representatives of Muslim communities
in Italy.
2. It is good to be able to share this significant moment with
you in the context of our ongoing dialogue. The particular circumstances
that we have recently experienced together demonstrate clearly
that, however arduous the path of authentic dialogue may be at
times, it is more necessary than ever.
3. The month of Ramadan which you have just completed has also
undoubtedly been a time of prayer and reflection on the difficult
situations of today’s world. While contemplating and thanking
God for all that is good, it is impossible not to take note of
the serious problems which affect our times: injustice, poverty,
tensions and conflicts between countries as well as within them.
Violence and terrorism are a particularly painful scourge. So
many human lives destroyed, so many women widowed, so many children
who have lost a parent, so many children orphaned … So many
wounded, physically and spiritually… So much, which has
taken years of sacrifice and toil to build, destroyed in a few
minutes!
4. As Christian and Muslim believers, are we not the first to
be called to offer our specific contribution to resolve this serious
situation and these complex problems? Without doubt, the credibility
of religions and also the credibility of our religious leaders
and all believers is at stake. If we do not play our part as believers,
many will question the usefulness of religion and the integrity
of all men and women who bow down before God.
Our two religions give great importance to love, compassion and
solidarity. In this context, I wish to share with you the message
of the first Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI,
Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), which echoes the most characteristic
‘definition’ of God in Christian Sacred Scriptures,
"God is love" (1 Jn 4: 8). Genuine love for God is inseparable
from love for others: "Anyone who says, ‘I love God’,
and hates his brother, is a liar, since a man who does not love
the brother he can see cannot love God, whom he has not seen"
(1 Jn 4: 20). In recalling this point, the Encyclical underlines
the importance of fraternal charity in the Church’s mission:
love, to be credible, must be effective. It must come to the aid
of everyone, beginning with the most needy. True love must be
of service to all the needs of daily life; it must also seek just
and peaceful solutions to the serious problems which afflict our
world.
5. Believers who are engaged in helping people in need or seeking
solutions to these problems, do so above all through their love
for God, ‘for the face of God’. Psalm 27 (26) says:
‘I seek your face, O Lord, hide not your face from me …’(vv.
8b-9a). The month of fasting which you have just completed has
not only brought you to give more attention to prayer, it has
also rendered you more sensitive to the needs of others, above
all to the hungry, fostering an even greater generosity towards
those in distress.
6. Everyday worries together with the more serious problems faced
by the world call for our attention and our action. Let us ask
God in prayer to help us confront them with courage and determination.
In those places where we can work together, let us not labour
separately. The world has need, and so do we, of Christians and
Muslims who respect and value each other and bear witness to their
mutual love and co-operation to the glory of God and the good
of all humanity.
7. With sentiments of sincere friendship I greet you and entrust
to you my thoughts for your consideration. I beseech Almighty
God that they will contribute to the promotion everywhere of the
relations of greater understanding and co-operation that have
arisen between Christians and Muslims, and thus offer a significant
contribution to the re-establishment and strengthening of
peace both within nations and between peoples, in accordance with
the profound desires of all believers and all men and women of
goodwill.
Paul Cardinal Poupard
President
Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata
Secretary
[Original text: French]
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