Islam & the Vatican

The most important religious and public policy related discussion in our time continues.

When the Turbans of Persia Pay Homage to the Pastor of Rome
Two days of talks, at the Vatican, between the scholars of Christianity and those of Shiite Islam. As in the medieval disputes. On the topic dearest to Joseph Ratzinger: faith and reason. The strange openness of Iranian president Ahmadinejad
by Sandro Magister
ROMA, May 7, 2008 –

The letter of the 138, with its developments, is neither the only nor the main track of dialogue between the Catholic Church and Islam. On the Vatican side, it operates on a variety of terrains and with different counterparts.

The latest talks with Muslim representatives took place in the Vatican, with eight representatives of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization of Tehran, and therefore with representatives of Shiite Islam, which has its center of gravity in Iran but is present in many other countries, with a following that accounts for about 12-15 percent of the Muslim community worldwide.

The colloquium began on Monday, April 28, and concluded on Wednesday, April 30, with a meeting with Benedict XVI in a room adjacent to the general audience hall. The Holy See, in a statement, reported that "the pope said he was particularly satisfied with the topic chosen."

And in effect, the topic was one of those most dear to Joseph Ratzinger: "Faith and Reason in Christianity and Islam".

It was developed in three subtopics, each introduced by one Catholic representative and one Muslim:

1. "Faith and reason: Which relation?", with the speaker for the Catholic side Vittorio Possenti, a professor of political philosophy at the University of Venice and a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences;

2. "Theology/Kalam as inquiry into the rationality of faith," with the speaker for the Catholic side Piero Coda, a professor of theology at the Pontifical Lateran University and the president of the Italian Theological Association;

3. "Faith and reason confronted with the phenomenon of violence," with the speaker for the Catholic side Jesuit Fr. Michel Fédou, a theologian and Church historian of the Centre Sèvres in Paris.

In addition to these three speakers, the Catholic delegation was composed of Ramzi Garmou, the Chaldean archbishop of Tehran; archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, secretary of the pontifical council for interreligious dialogue; Khaled Akasheh, the office head for Islam at the same council; and Ilaria Morali, a professor of dogmatic theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and a specialist in non-Christian religions.

Jointly presiding over the colloquium were cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the pontifical council for interreligious dialogue, and Mahdi Mostafavi, president of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization of Tehran.

Mostafavi is a "Seyyed," or one of the direct descendants of the prophet Muhammad, and until two years ago he was deputy foreign minister of Iran. Before returning to Iran, he told the Rome newspaper "il Riformista":

"I see president Ahmadinejad at least two times a week. Spiritual and moral values are fundamental in our government decisions, and I am his spiritual adviser".

This is enough to demonstrate how high the profile of the Iranian designation is, and how closely connected it is to the leadership of Ahamadinejad, an exponent of the most hardline wing of the Khomeinist regime, the one most hostile to the West and most explicit in denying the state of Israel's right to exist.

It should nonetheless be noted that the Tehran regime, during the explosion of violence that followed Benedict XVI's lecture in Regensburg, distinguished itself by its moderation. Iranian Shiite Islam is quite a few years ahead of Sunni Islam in cultivating relations with the Church of Rome, on the religious, cultural, and even political terrain. After meeting the new apostolic nuncio in Iran, archbishop Jean-Paul Gobel, last April 6, president Ahmadinejad called the Vatican a positive force for justice and peace in the world. Or rather, according to Iranian interests, a potential ally against the pressure of the United States and European countries.

The colloquium of recent days was the sixth in a series. The next will be held in Tehran within two years, and will be preceded by a preparatory meeting.

This does not mean that the Church of Rome is taking a conciliatory stance in these talks. Professor Possenti, one of the speakers at the latest round of talks, signed an appeal against Iranian president Ahmadinejad on November 3, 2005, because of his anti-Israel statements. The appeal was followed by a sit-in protest in front of Iran's embassy in Rome.

Another member of the Catholic delegation at the recent colloquium, Ilaria Morali, is also anything but submissive. Her thesis is that the dialogue between the Catholic Church and non-Christian religions must be guided by the two documents from 1964 that were the first to lay down the guidelines: the encyclical of Paul VI "Ecclesiam Suam" and the conciliar constitution "Lumen Gentium." Neither of these refers to non-Christian religions as ways of salvation. The only savior of all is Jesus Christ, as restated in 2000 in the declaration "Dominus Iesus." Thus dialogue is primarily missionary, its aim is to extend the "colloquium salutis" established by God, in Christ, with humanity. It is only on a lower level that it seeks common ground of ethical and cultural understanding, for more peaceful coexistence.