Russia: mutual knowledge as basis for mutual respect

“Faced by the challenges of the modern world we all have a need for sincere dialogue and collaboration to build a society based on mutual respect between the different religions and nationalities”, declared the President of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Sheik Ravil Gainutdin, and the archbishop metropolitan of Moscow, Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, during a meeting held in the Russian capital in recent days. Promoted by the archdiocese of Moscow, the meeting “was held in a climate of mutual understanding but also of concern for the current state of relations between Catholics and the followers of Islam”. The religious leaders recalled, however, that “examples of mutual understanding and collaboration between Russian Catholics and Muslims are growing. They participate together in demonstrations; they hold similar views on problems linked to the family, the defence of life and of moral values, religious tolerance, the consolidation of society and its democratic development”. Archbishop Kondrusiewicz stressed that “at Regensburg Benedict XVI had no intention of offending the feelings of Muslims: all he wanted to do was to recall the impossibility of violence having any religious motivation”. This position “fully” satisfied the Mufti Gainutdin.