Catholic, Orthodox prelates discuss terrorism and Islam

January 20, 2017

The Catholic-Orthodox Forum, which allows for discussion between Catholic and Orthodox prelates on life, marriage, family, and other social issues, recently held its fifth meeting since 2008.

The meeting, which took place in Paris, was devoted to “Europe in fear of the threat from fundamentalist terrorism, and the value of human person and religious freedom.” In a joint statement following the meeting, the prelates reflected on the relationship between Islam and terrorism.

“There is no question of stigmatizing the religion of Islam,” they said. “We observe, with Muslim leaders themselves, that some terrorists justify their action from the sacred texts of Islam.”

The Catholic and Orthodox prelates added:

It has been suggested that radicalisation has become Islamised, rather than the opposite. We believe that some narratives of Islamic history and experience have reinforced the spirit of these young people with a vision of hatred and rejection of the other … We call on Muslim religious authorities to ensure that there is no propagation of a systematically hostile image of the non-Muslim world.

The prelates’ statement touched on several other topics, including the current “unprecedented waves of migration.”

“We believe that welcoming foreigners is a paramount human and Christian duty,” the statement continued. “However, immigration must also take into account what is actually feasible in the host countries … The key word for immigrants is integration.”

 

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Further information:

• Message of the Fifth European Catholic-Orthodox Forum (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
• Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk takes part in the 5th European Catholic-Orthodox Forum in Paris (Moscow Patriarchate)