[NYer]

Missionaries in the future will, more and more, see that their apostolate among the Muslims will be successful in the measure that they preach Our Lady of Fatima. Mary is the advent of Christ, bringing Christ to the people before Christ himself is born. In an apologetic endeavor, it is always best to start with that which people already accept. Because the Muslims have a devotion to Mary, our missionaries should be satisfied merely to expand and to develop that devotion, with the full realization that Our Blessed Lady will carry the Muslims the rest of the way to her divine Son. She is forever a "traitor," in the sense that she will not accept any devotion for herself, but will always bring anyone who is devoted to her to her divine Son. As those who lose devotion to her lose belief in the divinity of Christ, so those who intensify devotion to her gradually acquire that belief.

Mary and the Muslims

[nmh]

Leave it to Muslim to use "Mary" just another sinner as the common ground. Heck you can pray right along with Muslims to Mary. I won't be praying to Mary anytime soon.

[nmh]

"The journalist said that he is convinced that the Virgin Mary is a meeting point between Christians and Muslims."

Ahem, a meeting point between Catholics and Muslims.

[Sonny M]

Are the muslims going to ask christians to throw stones at her?

Does anyone here see the irony of the fact that if Islam had been around at the same time as Mary, they would have killed her?

[ladyinred]

I am sorry , but I find all of this appalling.

[Piers-the-Ploughman]

Thankfully this exercise in wishful thinking is coming not from the Church but from laity whose credentials in matters of faith are completely unknown to us yet are presented as reasonable.

If ever approved at Church level, its garbage like this that leads to ecumenical fiascos like Assisi as heretics in local churches use these dialogs as excuses to bring an imam in to preach at a Catholic homily (oops, renamed "reflection", so no rules are broken), then Mohammed's statue is placed next to Mary's, etc, and we're all invited to the local mosque for services.

Keeping lines of communication is always important as is mutual respect, they too are made in God's image, and by all means work with them on pro-life issues at the UN, anything beyond natural law issues is Wilsonian or a Teilhard de Chardin-like fantasy.

The only level at which I see a practical value to our Church leaders meeting with other Church leaders is the Orthodox. All other Christians are too far from us to be negogiated with and papered over without us diluting the truth. These souls will be won over only by prayer, fasting, and our best example.

[OpusatFR]

"He said that the dialogue between Christians and Muslims "can begin afresh from Mary.""

Satan really is subtle. Dialogue proposes two or more views in opposition to each other. There is no common ground regarding why Mary is venerated. She is the Mother of God.

~Not the mother of simply another prophet.

[Ebenezer]

To Jesus through Mary.