The latest "Herald" was sent from Malaysia again two days ago. See the related reports and opinions in“Lily's Room” dated 31 October 2007, 1 November 2007 and 10 November 2007 before reading the below. (Lily)
“Herald”（9 December 2007, Vol.14, No.48）
‘Pope takes major step to open dialogue with Muslims’（p.1）
Vatican: Dialogue between Muslims and Catholics entered a new phase today as Pope Benedict replied to the Oct 13 letter from the 138 Muslims (sic) leaders and proposed that the dialogue be centered on human dignity and religious freedom.
The Pope’s reply to the Muslim initiative, A Common Word between Us and You, was sent to Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, president of the Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought and one of the signatories of the original letter. According to the Holy See Press Office, the letter was written by Pope BenedictⅩⅥ and signed by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.The interesting twist in the Pope’s proposal for dialogue is that he has insisted on changing the context of the talks. While the Muslim leaders’ letter framed future dialogue around the twofold commandment to love God and one’s neighbour, Pope BenedictⅩⅥ’s reply suggests a change in the terms of discussion.
According to the Holy Father’s letter to the prince, the path to true dialogue lies in “effective respect for the dignity of every human person, on objective knowledge of the religion of the other, on the sharing of religious experience and, finally, on common commitment of promoting mutual respect and acceptance among the younger generation.”
The letter also explained that Pope Benedict believes that this tact will lay a foundation for fruitful dialogue. The reply quoted a speech by the Holy Father in Cologne: “I am profoundly convinced that we must not yield to the negative pressure in our midst, but must affirm the values of mutual respect, solidarity and peace. The life of every human being is sacred, both for Christians and for Muslims. There is plenty of scope for us to act together in the service of fundamental moral values.”
Vatican analyst Sandro Magister explained a few years ago how Pope Benedict’s approach is fundamentally different than (sic) the proposals of the original Muslim letter.Drawing on what he sees as the clearest example of the Holy Father’s approach to Catholic-Muslim dialogue, Magister cited the Pope’s PRE-Christmas address to the Roman curia on December 22, 2006:
“In a dialogue to be intensified with Islam, we must bear in mind the fact that the Muslim world today is finding itself faced with an urgent task. This task is very similar to the one that has been imposed upon Christians since the Enlightenment, and to which the Second Vatican Council, as the fruit of long and difficult research, found real solutions for the Catholic Church.”
He summarized Benedict’s methodology writing, “The Pope is asking Islam to make the same journey that the Catholic Church made under pressure from the Enlightenment. Love of God and neighbour must be realised in the full acceptance of religious freedom”, writes the Vatican analyst.
The way forward proposed by the letter includes numerous channels of dialogue, such as, the “willingness (of the Pope) to receive Prince Ghazi and a delegation of the signatories of the letter” and “the readiness of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, in collaboration with other specialized pontifical institutes, to organize a working meeting”. (CNA)
CNA (Catholic News Agency)
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/document)
The Holy Father's response to the open letter of the 138 Muslim leaders
November 29, 2007 - By Benedict XVI
His Royal Highness
Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal
The Royal Palace
Amman
Jordan
From the Vatican, November 19, 2007
Your Royal Highness,
On 13 October 2007 an open letter addressed to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and to other Christian leaders was signed by one hundred and thirty-eight Muslim religious leaders, including Your Royal Highness. You, in turn, were kind enough to present it to Bishop Salim Sayegh, Vicar of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in Jordan, with the request that it be forwarded to His Holiness.
The Pope has asked me to convey his gratitude to Your Royal Highness and to all who signed the letter. He also wishes to express his deep appreciation for this gesture, for the positive spirit which inspired the text and for the call for a common commitment to promoting peace in the world.
Without ignoring or downplaying our differences as Christians and Muslims, we can and therefore should look to what unites us, namely, belief in the one God, the provident Creator and universal Judge who at the end of time will deal with each person according to his or her actions. We are all called to commit ourselves totally to him and to obey his sacred will.
Mindful of the content of his Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est ("God is Love"), His Holiness was particularly impressed by the attention given in the letter to the twofold commandment to love God and one's neighbor.
As you may know, at the beginning of his Pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI stated: "I am profoundly convinced that we must not yield to the negative pressures in our midst, but must affirm the values of mutual respect, solidarity and peace. The life of every human being is sacred, both for Christians and for Muslims. There is plenty of scope for us to act together in the service of fundamental moral values" (Address to Representatives of Some Muslim Communities, Cologne, 20 August 2005). Such common ground allows us to base dialogue on effective respect for the dignity of every human person, on objective knowledge of the religion of the other, on the sharing of religious experience and, finally, on common commitment to promoting mutual respect and acceptance among the younger generation. The Pope is confident that, once this is achieved, it will be possible to cooperate in a productive way in the areas of culture and society, and for the promotion of justice and peace in society and throughout the world.
With a view to encouraging your praiseworthy initiative, I am pleased to communicate that His Holiness would be most willing to receive Your Royal Highness and a restricted group of signatories of the open letter, chosen by you. At the same time, a working meeting could be organized between your delegation and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, with the cooperation of some specialized Pontifical Institutes (such as the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies and the Pontifical Gregorian University). The precise details of these meetings could be decided later, should this proposal prove acceptable to you in principle.
I avail myself of the occasion to renew to Your Royal Highness the assurance of my highest consideration.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone
Secretary of State
（End）
