|
|
 |
|
CNS Story:
|
VATICAN-IRAN Apr-30-2008 (320 words) xxxi
Iranian Muslims, Vatican reps say faith is never against reason
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While faith sometimes calls for belief in something that goes beyond a person's ability to understand, faith is never against reason, said participants in a Vatican-Iranian Catholic-Muslim dialogue.
Six representatives of Iran's Islamic Culture and Relations Organization met with a six-member delegation of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in Rome April 28-30 to discuss the relationship between faith and reason.
The topic was a key theme in Pope Benedict XVI's September 2006 speech in Regensburg, Germany, in which he offended many Muslims by quoting a 14th-century Christian emperor's criticism of Islam and raised questions about the relationship between faith and reason in Islam.
The Vatican-Iranian dialogue participants met briefly with Pope Benedict April 30 after his general audience.
"Faith and reason are both gifts of God to mankind," said a final statement issued by the participants in the April meeting. "Faith and reason do not contradict each other, but faith might in some cases be above reason, but never against it."
The participants also said, "Faith and reason are intrinsically nonviolent."
However, they acknowledged, both faith and reason sometimes have been manipulated to promote violence.
More generally, members of the dialogue pledged to continue working together to promote "genuine religiosity," spirituality and morality and to ensure their followers respect the religious symbols of the other.
The vast majority of Iranian Muslims are Shiites, a minority within the Muslim world.
The dialogue participants said that when approaching Christian-Muslim dialogue it was important to understand that confessional and historical differences exist within both religions.
And, they said, "religious traditions cannot be judged on the basis of a single verse or a passage present in their respective holy books."
The April meeting was the sixth encounter of the Vatican-Iranian dialogue group; the next meeting will be held in Tehran, Iran, in 2010.
END
Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250
|
|
|
|
