Paris, France, Oct 22, 2007 / 12:20 pm
The president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, warned this week of the difficulties posed by inter-religious dialogue with Muslims, since they “do not accept discussions about the Koran, because they say it was written under the dictates of God.”
In an interview with the French daily La Croix, Cardinal Tauran said that currently inter-religious dialogue can take place “with some religions, yes. But with Islam, not at this time. Muslims do not accept discussion about the Koran, because they say it was written under the dictates of God. With such an absolutist interpretation, it’s difficult to discuss the contents of the faith.”
Referring to the recent letter sent by 138 Muslim leaders to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders about inter-religious dialogue, Cardinal Tauran said, “If believers were consistent with their faith, the world could be different. Because wars are not caused by religions, but by men,” he said.
The cardinal noted that religions are often attacked because terrorists use them to justify their actions. “Religion inspires fear, therefore, because it is perverted by terrorism,” as in the case of Muslim extremists.