VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 28, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a text published today
by the Vatican of a message sent to Muslims by the president of the
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The message was sent on
the occasion of the end of Ramadan.
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MESSAGE OF PRESIDENT OF PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE TO
MUSLIMS FOR THE END OF RAMADAN
Christians and Muslims:
called to promote a culture of peace
Dear Muslim Friends,
1. It gives me special pleasure to send you for the first time friendly
and warmest greetings from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious
Dialogue on the occasion of your joyful feast of 'Id al-Fitr, with which
the month-long fasting and prayer of Ramadan ends. This month is always
an important time for the Muslim community and gives to each individual
member a new strength for their personal, family and social existence. It
matters that all of us witness to our religious beliefs with a life
increasingly integrated and in conformity with the Creator's plan, a life
concerned with serving our brothers and sisters in ever increasing
solidarity and fraternity with members of other religions and all men of
good will, in the desire to work together for the common good.
2. In the troubled times we are passing through, religious believers have,
as servants of the Almighty, a duty above all to work in favour of peace,
by showing respect for the convictions of individuals and communities
everywhere through freedom of religious practice. Religious freedom,
which must not be reduced to mere freedom of worship, is one of the
essential aspects of freedom of conscience, which is the right of every
individual and a cornerstone of human rights. It takes into account the
requirement that a culture of peace and solidarity between men can be
built in which everybody can be firmly engaged in the construction of an
increasingly fraternal society, doing everything one can to reject,
denounce and refuse every recourse to violence which can never be
motivated by religion, since it wounds the very image of God in man. We
know that violence, especially terrorism which strikes blindly and claims
countless innocent victims, is incapable of
resolving conflicts and leads only to a deadly chain of destructive
hatred, to the detriment of mankind and of societies.
3. As religious believers, it's up to us all to be educators of peace, of
human rights, of a freedom which respects each person, but also to ensure
increasingly strong social bonds, because man must take care of his human
brothers and sisters without discrimination. No individual in the
national community should be excluded on the grounds of his or her race,
religion, or any other personal characteristic. Together, as members of
different religious traditions, we are called to spread a teaching which
honours all human creatures, a message of love between individuals and
peoples. We are particularly responsible for ensuring that our young
people, who will be in charge of tomorrow's world, are formed in this
spirit. It is above all the responsibility of families and then of those
involved in the educational world, and of civic and religious
authorities, all of whom have a duty to pay attention to the spread of a
just teaching. They must provide
everyone an education appropriate to his or her particular circumstances,
especially a civic education which invites each young person to respect
those around him or her, and to consider them as brothers and sisters
with whom he or she is daily called to live, not in indifference, but in
fraternal care. It is thus more urgent than ever to teach to the younger
generations, those fundamental human, moral and civic values which are
necessary to both personal and community life. All instances of
incivility must be made use of to remind the young of what is waiting for
them in social life. It is the common good of every society and of the
entire world which is at stake.
4. In this spirit, the pursuit and intensification of dialogue between
Christians and Muslims must be considered important, in both educational
and cultural dimensions. Thus all forces can be mobilised in the service
of mankind and humanity so that the younger generations do not become
cultural or religious blocs opposed to one another, but genuine brothers
and sisters in humanity. Dialogue is the tool which can help us to escape
from the endless spiral of conflict and multiple tensions which mark our
societies, so that all peoples can live in serenity and peace and with
mutual respect and harmony among their component groups.
To achieve this, I appeal to you with all my heart to heed my words, so
that, by means of encounters and exchanges, Christians and Muslims will
work together in mutual respect for peace and for a better future for all
people; it will provide an example for the young people of today to follow
and imitate. They will then have a renewed confidence in society and will
see the advantage in belonging and taking part in its transformation.
Education and example will also be a source of hope in the future for
them.
5. This is the ardent hope I share with you: that Christians and Muslims
continue to develop increasingly friendly and constructive relationships
in order to share their specific riches, and that they will pay
particular attention to the quality of the witness of their believers.
Dear Muslim Friends, once again I give you my warmest greetings on the
occasion of your festival and I ask the God of Peace and Mercy to give
you all, good health, serenity and prosperity.
Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran
President
Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata
Secretary
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