Vatican City, Mar 2, 2010 / 10:08 am
Catholics and Muslims recently concluded a meeting in Cairo, Egypt, where they discussed ways to prevent the manipulation of religion to justify violence. The two groups also reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing policies of peace, promotion of respect and dialogue and fraternity in their communities.
Members of the Joint Committee for Dialogue of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and the Permanent Committee of al-Azhar for Dialogue among the Monotheistic Religions were convened from Feb. 23-24 in the Egyptian capital for their 2010 meetings.
The theme, "The phenomenon of confessional violence: understanding the phenomenon and its causes, and proposing solutions with particular reference to the role of religions in this field," provided parameters for discussions over the two days.
Results of the meetings included a joint agreement on the recommendations of seeking greater awareness of the "fact that manipulation of religion for political or other ends can be a source of violence." They also expressed their mutual interest in avoiding “discrimination on the basis of religious identity” and in ways to open “hearts to mutual forgiveness and reconciliation.”