Vatican City, Mar 5, 2008 / 00:01 am
A delegation of Muslim leaders met with Vatican officials on Thursday to organize a summit for interfaith dialogue later this year, ANSA reports.
Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, head of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, is hosting the two-day organizing conference with a delegation of Muslims from the UK, Jordan, Italy, and Turkey representing a larger group of high-profile Sunni and Shiite leaders from around the globe.
The meeting is the result of an open letter 138 Islamic leaders sent last October to Pope Benedict XVI and 26 other Christian leaders. The letter, “A Common Word Between Us and You,” was the first time so many high-profile Muslim leaders together had called for peace.
The letter noted similarities between Christianity and Islam, noting both believed in only one God. It said both religions are founded on “goodwill, not violence.” The number of high-profile Muslim leaders adhering to the principles of the letter has increased to 216 and includes the religious heads of 43 countries including Saudi Arabia and Iran.