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Representatives of the Catholic and Protestant Churches and of the Jewish community met Iranian President Mohammad Khatami in Switzerland on 20 January. Aim of the meeting: the promotion of interreligious dialogue. The Protestants also proposed the creation of a “Council of Religions” which would regularly bring together Jews, Christians and Moslems. Mohammad Khatami says a joint communiqué issued by the Federation of the Protestant Churches of Switzerland (FEPS) and the Swiss Episcopal Conference on 21 January – “expressed his deep interest in the bilateral exchange”. “Serious problems threaten our world said Khatami but by insisting on our common values, religions can combat violence and hatred. Civilizations have their roots in religions”. The Churches then pointed out that “religious communities throughout the world are faced by two challenges: religious fundamentalism and indifference. Religious dialogue could on the one hand permit the rediscovery of faith as a source of hope, and as a consciousness of the spiritual dimension of the human being in ethical questions, and on the other, make to society a valuable contribution to peaceful co-existence between the various religious communities”. The Churches then expressed their willingness to promote a dialogue between the monotheist religions. Pastor Thomas Wifp, chairman of the Council of FEPS, in fact proposed the creation of a “Council of Religions”, an organization that would permit regular meetings between Jewish, Christian and Moslem leaders, to contribute to religious peace and integration. The proposal will be presented on the occasion of a forthcoming meeting with the representative of other religions. The Swiss Catholic Church, for its part, has already introduced, in 2001, a work group on “Islam” which monitors dialogue with the Moslem communities.
