Number 43 June 2009 EDITORIAL You, our regular and longstanding readers will notice a merciful and compassionate, consistent in bearing significant change in the presentation of Bridges with witness to all that is true and good, and ever mindful of this issue. After 12 years we decided we needed to the common origin and dignity of all human persons.” update a little and put on a fresh face. We hope you like it. The Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations is making available a small publication containing excerpts It is an appropriate time to make a change for other from all the major addresses made by Pope Benedict reasons too. Times are changing rapidly in the area of during his pilgrimage. This is a collection of the latest interreligious dialogue. In just the last two months and most authoritative teaching of the Catholic Church several very significant events have taken place. on interfaith relations. ( See page 6 for details .) The first and most publicised of these was the The second event of importance was the Cairo Speech pilgrimage made by Pope Benedict XVI to the Holy given by President Obama. This has been seen as a Land. This journey received a lot of coverage in the reaching out to the Muslim world, not just by the media but not much detail of what was actually said and President, or even of the United States, but by the done. This issue of Bridges makes available one Muslim Western world. address of Welcome to His Holiness and the Pope’s Response. The third event was a local one but touched the whole Australian church through those who attended. The Prince Ghazi in formally welcoming Benedict to the annual Conference of the Catholic Religious of Australia Kingdom of Jordan recognised him as the spiritual has just concluded in Sydney. The theme of the leader of 1.1 billion Catholics; as a Christian theologian Conference this year was “Australian Religious in a with the moral courage to speak his conscience; as a Multi-Faith Society: Reality, Gift and Challenge. It is Head of State concerned with morality, ethics, the indicative of the growing awareness within the Australian alleviation of poverty and suffering; and as a simple church of the importance of interreligious dialogue in our pilgrim of peace who comes in humility and gentleness own multi-faith society that this topic was chosen. ( See to pray where Jesus Christ the Messiah was baptised page 3 for details .) and began his mission 2000 years ago. We live in a time of great challenge and opportunity. In thanking the Prince, Pope Benedict said in part, May the Holy Spirit guide the efforts of all working “Muslims and Christians, precisely because of the towards interfaith harmony and peace. burden of our common history so often marked by misunderstanding, must today strive to be known and Pauline Rae smsm recognised as worshippers of God, faithful to prayer, Editor eager to uphold and live by the Almighty’s decrees, 1 ITEMS OF INTEREST “Memorandum of Understanding” signed between France workers, Christians, Jews and Muslims, families the Vatican Secretariat of State and the League of and friends. Arab States. Rabbi Haim Korsia, chaplain of the air personnel, involved the “Fraternity that unites us, believers and A Memorandum of Understanding between the Vatican non-believers”. and the League of Arab States was signed at the Mohammed Moussaouli, President of the French Vatican Apostolic Palace in April 2009. It was signed by Council of Muslim Faith, directed some words of support Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for and compassion to the families and sang the first Sura Relations with States, and Amr Moussa, Secretary of the Koran. General of the League. Claude Bay, President of the Protestant Federation of The agreement consolidates the existing ties of France also expressed his sympathy, followed by the collaboration between the Holy See and the League of Metropolitan Emmanuel on behalf of the French Arab States, especially at a political and cultural level, in Assembly of Orthodox Bishops. favour of peace, security and stability, both regionally The Catholic Archbishop of Paris concluded the and internationally. It also proposes instruments for ceremony with a message of encouragement and consultation between the two sides, with particular support for the families. emphasis on initiatives of inter-religious dialogue. Source: Zenit June 4 2009 Fides Service 24/4/2009 President Obama Reaches out to the Islamic World Pope Benedict calls Interfaith Dialogue the Road to in Cairo Speech Peace President Obama raised many issues of world In his second public address in Israel, Pope Benedict importance in his recent Cairo speech. One of these XVI affirmed the importance of interreligious dialogue in which may have been overlooked by most in light of the the pursuit of peace. The Pope said this in a reception grave significance of the ongoing conflicts to which he hosted by President Shimon Peres at the presidential referred, was the reference to human rights. palace in Jerusalem on the first day of a visit to Israel on One of the specific examples was in relation to women, the second leg of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. saying that a woman who is denied education is denied During the visit, the Pontiff symbolically planted a tree in equality. the palace garden in the presence of numerous political To quote: “Our daughters can contribute just as much to and religious personalities. After this there was a society as our sons. Our common prosperity will be moment of spontaneous exchange between the Israeli advanced by allowing all humanity – men and women – leader and the Holy Father. to reach their full potential.” Benedict XVI then addressed those present, affirming that peace is above all a divine gift that we find when we Source:www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks- seek God “with all our heart”. He noted that “the by-the-President-at-Cairo-University-6-04-09 particular contribution of religions to the quest for peace lies primarily in the wholehearted, united search for Women of Faith Dinner God”. ”Security, integrity, justice and peace,” the Pontiff said, are inseparable “in God’s design for the world”. The annual Women of Faith Dinner was held on May 24 “I hear the cry of those who live in this land for justice, in Sydney. The event attracted some 250 women of for peace, for respect for their dignity, for lasting different faiths who came to share each other’s company security, a daily life free from the fear of outside threats with a good meal, excellent talks from Jewish, Christian and senseless violence.” “And I know that considerable and Muslim women and musical entertainment. The numbers of men and women and young people are event is becoming more popular each year and ever working for peace and solidarity through cultural more faith traditions are being represented. programs and through initiatives of compassionate and practical outreach; humble enough to forgive, they have the courage to grasp the dream that is their right.” Source: Zenit.org/article-25867?1=english A multi-religious community sharing the same socio- economic, political and cultural structures is called to How Tragedy Brings us Together build up a secular society that is open to all religions. While each person seeks to be rooted and to find The plane crash in the Atlantic from Rio de Janeiro to motivation in his own religion, all the religions are called Paris on June 1 claimed 228 lives. A few days later to provide collectively a moral and religious basis for the these lives were symbolized by candles on the altar of pursuit of the common good. Notre Dame Cathedral where people of many faiths gathered to pray for the victims and their grieving Michael Amaladoss SJ Walking Together: families and friends. The French President, Nicolas The Practice of Inter-Religious Dialogue Sarkozy was present along with government officials, Air 2 NEWS FROM THE CENTRE A Common Word focus turns to the periphery, to those in need, and acting On Friday the 15 th of May 2009 Father Patrick neighbourly towards them. What matters is not McInerney from the Columban Mission Institute’s Centre geographical proximity, who lives next door, but whether for Christian-Muslim Relations gave a formal response one shows practical compassion for those who suffer, no to A Common Word, the 2007 open letter from Muslim matter their tribe, nation or religion. In our world, where leaders to Pope Benedict XVI, the Orthodox Patriarchs, Christians and Muslims together make up over fifty the heads of the Protestant churches and “leaders of percent of the world’s population, there is much that we Christian Churches, everywhere”.* When the letter was can do together in responding to the needs of the poor, first issued the Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations the hungry, the refugees and those who suffer injustices, recognized its significance and published it in English war, and natural disasters. and Arabic so that it would have a wider readership in Australia. Irfan Yousaf, a free-lance journalist and social commentator, then made a response. Irfan is Pakistani- The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the born Muslim who migrated with his family as a young Vatican, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the World boy. He related his experiences of growing up and going Council of Churches, and many other Christian to school in urban Australia. He argued that the recent organizations have already made formal responses to tensions and conflicts that are reported in the media are the letter. The gathering at Greenacre in inner Western cultural rather than religious, and commended A Sydney was the first public forum of Christians and Common Word for bringing us back to the fundamentals Muslims on this topic in Australia.