Catholics, Jews want to include Muslims in talks on Mohammad cartoon

www.haaretzdaily.com ^ | 18:08 02/03/2006

[Esther Ruth]

Last update - 18:08 02/03/2006

Catholics, Jews want to include Muslims in talks on Mohammad cartoon

By Reuters

VATICAN CITY - Roman Catholic and Jewish leaders on Thursday agreed that both religions should widen their two-way dialogue to involve Muslims in the wake of tensions over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.

The formal recognition of the need to involve more Muslims in dialogue came in a statement signed by leading rabbis from Israel and Vatican officials at the end of a meeting in Rome.

In a clear reference to a wave of violence in the Muslim world over the publishing of the cartoons, the joint statement said any abuse of religious symbols "must be rejected and condemned" in order to advance humanity's common good.

"At the same time such abuses and the current tensions between civilisations demand of us to reach out beyond our own bilateral dialogue which has its unique compelling character," the statement said.

"Thus we believe that it is our duty to engage and involve the Muslim world and its leaders in respectful dialogue and cooperation," it said.

The signers included five senior members of the Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations with Jews and seven from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

[Esther Ruth]

few excerpts....


They also appealed to world leaders "to appreciate the essential potential of the religious dimension to help resolve conflicts and strife and call on them to support inter-religious dialogue to this end."

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Pope Benedict has condemned the cartoons, saying the world's religions and their symbols must be respected. But he also said violent protests against perceived offence were wrong.

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Still, in a sign of his concern for dialogue with the Muslim world, the Pope last month appointed Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, a leading expert on Islam, to be his new envoy to Egypt and to the 22-member Arab League.

[CrawDaddyCA]

"Thus we believe that it is our duty to engage and involve the Muslim world and its leaders in respectful dialogue and cooperation," it said.

Sure, just like they will respect Christians and Jews. /sarcasm

These animals are out to destroy us. There is no middle ground.

[Burkean]

I agree--where are the Muslim run conversations that deal with Muslim respect of Christians (and Jews) within Muslim countries? They don't exist.

[Esther Ruth]

Even if this is all diplomacy on our parts, with the hope and prayer of bringing them along, winning their hearts and minds etc., blablabla... are we not as Christians and Jews being dishonest to ourselves, each other and them and in all honesty lying when we say to them and each other that we believe we can find something workable with all this.

That alone, that we are trying to build a foundation on something that begins with us lying to them as to how we really feel about their "so called religion", I mean do we really respect it? No - and if we are honest we should say so.

The Lord hates when we lie. Is this lying we are doing justified, is this coming along side them and saying we respect their religion something that would please the God of the Bible and meet with His approval? (But what choice have we got they say)

[Publius6961]

It takes two willing and rational parties to have a meaningful discussion.

I am very open to being proved wrong, but my conviction is that that rules out the muslims.

[Publius6961]

In fact, the only meaningful form of this dialog that is likely to be truly helpful, would be a free, open and public discussion in a prominent muslim capital...

Would the non-muslim participants need a hefty increase in their life insurance policies?

[Vaquero]

Kiss the Glove Mo!

[sheik yerbouty]

Well said!

[sheik yerbouty]

It is all we need to know about TROP!