European Churches: Dialogue With Islam Is Difficult But Necessary
ROCCA DI PAPA,
The meeting, which was the first time that representatives from all the main Christian denominations had gathered as a cohesive group to discuss relations with Muslims, met in mid-March at the Palazzola, the serene English College retreat house just outside Rome.
Discussion topics, which included
violence in the Koran, interpretations of jihad, and the Catholic doctrine of
just war, were examined in the light of recent events such as the riots in
But according to event organizer Msgr. Peter Fleetwood, the conference was “not a reaction” to these events, or to an increase in Islamic extremism. The delegates, he told reporters March 17, had been commissioned by their ecclesiastical leaders to provide directives on how the churches could respond to “a very complex situation” and examine more completely the reasons for violence in both Islam and Christianity.
Of particular concern was how extremists of both religions can hijack their faith to further their own political ends.
“Why should people be able to pirate the name of religion and get away with it?” asked Msgr. Fleetwood, who is also the deputy general secretary of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences.
Some leaders may be sincere about the poverty and exclusion they face and have no other choice but to call on their religion in order to bring about justice, but “whether God really wants killing and bombing as a way out of a bad situation is the question,” Msgr. Fleetwood said.
Authority Problem
One problem for those engaged in interreligious dialogue with Muslims is the lack of an
over-arching authority or magisterium in Islam. “This
is the most important but also the most difficult point,” said Martin Affolderbach, secretary of Christian-Muslim and interreligious affairs for
Msgr. Fleetwood said their dialogue with Muslims involved “not just listening to any old person and certainly not to rabble rousers.” But, he added, finding suitable partners was not easy.
Affolderbach, who helps identify constructive
dialogue partners in
But aren’t the extremists the ones who most need to be engaged in dialogue? Affolderbach said there “isn’t a possible starting point” to open relations with such Muslims, comparing the situation to trying to dialogue with right-wing German extremists.
Msgr. Fleetwood said it was a “mystery” how to engage with extremists. “They have to want to dialogue,” he said.
Conference delegate Canon Andrew
Wingate, an interfaith adviser for bishops of Church of England, said the “best
people” to tackle militant extremists are moderates in both religions. “They
need to be encouraged,” he said, adding that moderate Christians also need “to
take a stand against extremist Christians, especially in the
Canon Wingate, who is also
director of the St. Philip’s
“As moderate Christians meeting with moderate Muslims, dialogue is possible — there is a strong bond as opposed to what one might encounter with extremist Christians and Muslims,” he said.
‘Practical’ Approach
Effective dialogue is not helped by division among Christians, but Affolderbach said the churches based their collaboration more on experiences than on theology.
“We find the theological dimensions of the problem from our experiences rather than finding a common starting point,” he said. “It’s a more practical approach that must be looked at from the perspective of solving these particular problems.”
Msgr. Fleetwood emphasized that both Christianity and Islam have contributed to European culture, and was wary of assertions that Christians must battle an encroaching Islam on the continent. “No one sees Christianity fighting an Islamic minority,” he said. “Everyone sees problems, but not on one side.”
In dialogue, Msgr. Fleetwood said, Christians and Muslims were trying to build a continent in which they could co-exist.
Said Msgr. Fleetwood, “Rather than
winning a battle, it’s making the most of life here; what’s
the most human
Edward Pentin
writes from
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- April 9-15, 2006