The ongoing interaction between Islam and Catholics, begun and carried out in this latest format by the work of Pope Benedict XVI, (dialogue between the Vatican and Islam has been going on regularly since Vatican II) promises to be—even with the serious conflicts involved—one of the most important discussions around theology that will bleed into public policy, we will see in our lifetimes.
As this update excerpt from Sandro Magister at Chiesa tells us, we now learn that the discussion forums have been annualized, wonderful news!
The Via Crucis of the Archbishop of Mosul of the Chaldeans
Paulos Faraj Rahho is the latest of the Christian victims in Iraq. His martyrdom is part of the background to the dialogue between the Catholic Church and Islam. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran comments on his recent meetings with Muslim representatives
by Sandro Magister
ROMA, March 19, 2008 – At the end of the Mass for Palm Sunday, with the reading of the Gospel of the Passion in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI recalled the latest Christian martyr in Iraq, the archbishop of Mosul of the Chaldeans, Paulos Faraj Rahho (in the photo), who was kidnapped on February 29 while leaving the Church of the Holy Spirit, where he had celebrated the Stations of the Cross, and then barbarously killed.
With even more emotion, the pope recalled the killing of the Iraqi archbishop while celebrating Mass for him on the morning of Monday, March 17, in "Redemptoris Mater" chapel:
"He took up his cross and followed the Lord Jesus even to the agony of death. And so, as the Servant of the Lord, he contributed to 'bringing justice' to his devastated country and to the whole world, by bearing witness to the truth."
It is calculated that 47 Christians were killed in Iraq last year, 13 of them in Mosul.
Many Iraqi Muslims have also joined in mourning for archbishop Rahho, who was widely admired, the promoter of joint initiatives between Christians and Muslims, like the "Fraternity of charity and joy" to assist people with handicaps. From the holy city of the Shiites, Karbala, the grand ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for the capture of the guilty parties, unanimously thought to be members of al Qaeda or other radical Islamist groups.
Christians in Iraq and in other Muslim countries are increasingly surrounded and under attack, and "they are in danger of disappearing," as cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the congregation for the Oriental Churches, warned on March 15. Those who do resist emigrating literally risk their lives in some places.
It is against this dramatic background that dialogue between the Catholic Church and Islam is proceeding. An important step was made in this with the meeting that took place in Rome on March 4 and 5 between the pontifical council for interreligious dialogue and a delegation of the 138 Muslim scholars who signed the open letter "A Common Word" addressed to the pope and to other Christian leaders.
Lampstand Foundation website, http://www.lampstandfoundation.org/
"The sinner is at the very heart of Christianity. Nobody is so competent as the sinner in matters of Christianity. Nobody, except the saint." Charles Peguy (1873-1914)
About
- David H. Lukenbill
- I am a California native, married, we have one daughter and live close to the American River with two cats and all the wild critters we can feed. I am a management consultant to nonprofit organizations and have an Associates of Arts degree in Administration of Justice from Sacramento City College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Public Administration degree, also from the University of San Francisco.