From November 9-11 this year, in Teheran, Iran, scholars from the Vatican and the Islamic community met and examined the theme, “Religion and Society Today: Christian and Muslim Perspectives.”
At the end of the meeting, they agreed on the following statement.
1. Believers and religious communities, based on their faith in God, have a specific role to play in society, on an equal footing with other citizens.
2. Religion has an inherent social dimension that the State has the obligation to respect; therefore, also in the interest of society, it cannot be confined to the private sphere.
3. Believers are called to cooperate in the search for common good, on the basis of a sound relation between faith and reason.
4. It is necessary for Christians and Muslims as well as all believers and persons of good will, to cooperate in answering modern challenges, promoting moral values, justice and peace and protecting the family, environment and natural resources.
5. Faith, by its very nature, requires freedom. Therefore, religious freedom, as a right inherent to human dignity, must always be respected by individuals, social actors and the State. The cultural and historical background of each society which is not in contradiction with human dignity should be taken into consideration in applying this fundamental principle.
6. Education of the young generation should be based on the search for truth, spiritual values and promotion of knowledge.
http://press.catholica.va/news_services/bulletin/news/2641.php?index=2641&lang=en
Wouldn’t it be great if these words are brought to fruition in the troubled areas of the world today, where Christians are persecuted, and where Muslims are misunderstood.
By the way, the next meeting of these groups will be in two years, this time in Rome.
