Respect between Muslims and Christians Lessons from the Past, Suggestions for the Future

The Gift of Abraham One God, who reveals himself through his word One God, who reveals himself through his word –Not the many gods imagined by man One God, who created all, and is above all One God, who created all, and is above all –Not a divinity spread through creation

The Gift of Abraham One God, who calls us to follow and obey One God, who calls us to follow and obey –Not a divinity we can carry in our pocket or manipulate One God, above and beyond all nations One God, above and beyond all nations –Not a nationalistic deity, in competition with others

Lessons from the Past Can Anything Good Come from the Middle Ages?

A Common Language Greek philosophy (Aristotle and Plato) Greek philosophy (Aristotle and Plato) –Muslims  Ibn Sina (Avicenna)  Ibn Rushd (Averroës) –Jews  Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides) –Christians  St. Albertus Magnus  St. Thomas Aquinas

Conversation –1219 –Fifth Crusade –Damietta  “I am a Christian” –Al-Malik Al-Kamil  “He was received very honorably by the sultan. … [The Sultan] was filled with the greatest admiration, and he looked upon him as a man different from all others.” Celano, First Life (1230) St. Francis of Assisi ( )

Prompted to Prayer St. Francis of Assisi, A Letter to the Rulers of the Nations (1220). St. Francis of Assisi, A Letter to the Rulers of the Nations (1220). I firmly counsel you, my lords, … that every evening there be announced by a town crier, or by another sign, at which praises and thanks are to be returned to the Omnipotent Lord God by all the people. I firmly counsel you, my lords, … that every evening there be announced by a town crier, or by another sign, at which praises and thanks are to be returned to the Omnipotent Lord God by all the people.

Witness St. Francis of Assisi, Regula non bullata (1221) Let whatever friar who wants to go among the Saracens … go in accord with the permission of his minister and servant … if he has seen that they are suitable to be sent. … Let whatever friar who wants to go among the Saracens … go in accord with the permission of his minister and servant … if he has seen that they are suitable to be sent. … The friars who go can conduct themselves spiritually among them in two manners. The friars who go can conduct themselves spiritually among them in two manners. –One manner is, that they cause no arguments nor strife, but be subject ‘to every human creature for God's sake’ and confess themselves to be Christians. –The other manner is, that, when they have seen that it pleases God, they announce the word of God….

Suggestions for the Future The Vision of Vatican 2

Vatican 2 The plan of salvation also includes those (others) who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these are the Muslims, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind. Lumen Gentium 16

Vatican 2 The Church regards with esteem also the Muslims. They adore the one God…; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham … submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the day of judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting. …

Vatican 2 Since in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Muslims, this sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom. Nostra Aetate 3.

The World Today “There is a fundamental fissure, a Grand Canyon, between secularists who acknowledge no law above human desire and all the religions of the world.”

Benedict at Regensburg God doesn’t act unreasonably God doesn’t act unreasonably Reveals himself to us through his word Reveals himself to us through his word Faith is not opposed to reason Faith is not opposed to reason Yet modern science and philosophy have sought to exclude faith Yet modern science and philosophy have sought to exclude faith

Benedict at Regensburg While we rejoice in the new possibilities open to humanity, we also see the dangers arising from these possibilities and we must ask ourselves how we can overcome them. We will succeed in doing so only if reason and faith come together in a new way, if we overcome the self-imposed limitation of reason to the empirically falsifiable… Only thus do we become capable of that genuine dialogue of cultures and religions so urgently needed today.

Benedict in Cologne “Inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue between Christians and Muslims cannot be reduced to an optional extra. It is, in fact, a vital necessity, on which in large measure our future depends.”

Benedict in Istanbul Quoted Vatican 2, Gaudium et Spes: “Peace is more than the absence of war: it cannot be reduced to the maintenance of a balance of power between opposing forces … but it is the fruit of the right ordering of things with which the divine founder has invested human society and which must be brought about by humanity in its thirst for an ever more perfect reign of justice.” “Peace is more than the absence of war: it cannot be reduced to the maintenance of a balance of power between opposing forces … but it is the fruit of the right ordering of things with which the divine founder has invested human society and which must be brought about by humanity in its thirst for an ever more perfect reign of justice.”

What Do We Need? Grounded in our belief in the God of Abraham Grounded in our belief in the God of Abraham Compelled by the friendships we share Compelled by the friendships we share To seek common ground and common language To seek common ground and common language To speak To speak –To one another with respect –To the world with one voice –That Peace is rooted in  Justice  Truth  Respect  Compassion

Will It Be Easy?