When the Turbans of Persia Pay Homage to the Pastor of Rome
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.
Last April 17, in Washington, speaking to about 200 representatives of non-Christian religions, Benedict XVI confirmed this in unequivocal words:
"Christianity proposes Jesus of Nazareth. [...] It is he whom we bring to the forum of interreligious dialogue. The ardent desire to follow in his footsteps spurs Christians to open their minds and hearts in dialogue."
In the address that he read to his Muslim counterparts, in effect, professor Possenti interpreted in this Christological sense the meeting for peace in Assisi on October 27, 1986:
"The meeting pointed to the incompatibility of the Gospel with violence: He who died on the cross is a victim, not an executioner. The passion of Jesus constitutes the unmasking of the violence around which pagan religions circled: it provokes a revolution which cannot now be stopped. It proposes the icon of the Servant suffering for love, the symbol of non-violent, donated love."
As for the relationship between religion and violence, Possenti said:
"Violence must be laicised, and attributed to man, not God."
At the end of the colloquium of April 28-30, the two delegations agreed on seven points, which were summarized in a statement as follows:
"1. Faith and reason are both gifts of God to mankind.
"2. Faith and reason do not contradict each other, but faith might in some cases be above reason, but never against it.
"3. Faith and reason are intrinsically non-violent. Neither reason nor faith should be used for violence; unfortunately, both of them have been sometimes misused to perpetrate violence. In any case, these events cannot question either reason or faith.
"4. Both sides agreed to further co-operate in order to promote genuine religiosity, in particular spirituality, to encourage respect for symbols considered to be sacred and to promote moral values.
"5. Christians and Muslims should go beyond tolerance, accepting differences, while remaining aware of commonalities and thanking God for them. They are called to mutual respect, thereby condemning derision of religious beliefs.
"6. Generalization should be avoided when speaking of religions. Differences of confessions within Christianity and Islam, diversity of historical contexts are important factors to be considered.
"7. Religious traditions cannot be judged on the basis of a single verse or a passage present in their respective holy Books. A holistic vision as well as an adequate hermeneutical method is necessary for a fair understanding of them."
In addition to Seyyed Mahdi Mostafavi, the Muslim delegation was composed of four scholars with the title of "Hojjat al-Islam": Mohammad Jafar Elmi, of the Islamic College for Advanced Studies in London; Hamid Parsania, a professor of philosophy and mysticism in Qom and the rector of Baqir al-Ulum university; Mahdi Khamoushi; and Mohammed Masjedjamei. And also: Rasoul Rasoulipour, dean of the humanities faculty at the university of Tarbiat Moallem; Mohsen Daneshmand, member of the diplomatic corps; and Abdolrahim Gavahi.
The eight Shiite representatives presented pope Benedict XVI with a copy of the Qur'an as a gift. The official Iranian news agency ISNA reported that the pope called it "a precious book" and made this comment on the topic of the colloquium:
"Faith and reason are the two things that the world needs today more than any other time and it is our duty to provide this need for society."
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All of the articles in from www.chiesa on this topic:
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English translation by Matthew Sherry, Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
www.chiesa News, analysis, and documents on the Catholic Church, by Sandro Magister
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