Vatican City, Nov 7, 2005 / 22:00 pm
As world religious leaders meet this week in Turkey for a conference seeking collaboration between the world’s three major monotheistic religions--Christianity, Judaism and Islam, Pope Benedict reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to “tirelessly” seek cooperation between peoples, cultures and faiths.
Representatives from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity announced the second international conference today, which is focusing on the theme: "Peace and Tolerance - Dialogue and Understanding in South East Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia."
The event, taking place in Istanbul from November 7th to 9th, is being attended by His Holiness Bartholomew I, ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, Rabbi Arthur Schneider, president of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation of New York, and is largely under the patronage of Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.
Today’s Vatican communiqué announced that the conference will seek "to promote collaboration between the three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, in order to favor reciprocal respect and mutual acceptance, and to achieve peaceful coexistence in a world that has suffered so cruelly through wars and conflicts."