How can bridges be erected?

“If we manage to disintegrate ideologies and neutralize the influence of specific political powers, then people remain and with them the encounter is authentic: Christians and Muslims who love peace, who ask themselves about the meaning of life, who yearn for a life that is livable in peace are both seeking God”. Msgr. Aldo Giordano, Secretary General of the CCEE (Council of European Episcopal Conferences) in his interview with SIR drew a positive balance of the meeting promoted the past few days by Ccee-Kek (Conference of European Churches) on relations with the Muslims (Crme) in Esztergom (Hungary). Muslims of various European Countries were also present in order to prepare together a European Christian-Muslim Conference to be held in Malines/Bruxelles on October 20-23 2008, on “Being European citizens and believers. Christians and Muslims active partners in European societies”. What emerged in particular, in Esztergom?“Above all the will, but also the difficulty, of finding a partner for the dialogue. Islam in Europe is a very diversified reality. The Muslims arriving from Algeria are very different from those coming from central Africa or from Turkey. Even within Islam they are different. As relates to the confrontation with European culture and society, on the one side there are intellectuals who attempt to create a European kind of Islam, if not French or Italian, based on the awareness of living in a Country with a culture, a political system and a legislation which we must adapt to preserving our own identity. On the other, there is a position, represented by the majority, who views this world as if it were estranged to them, as if were dangerous and hostile. And this doesn’t make things easier”. As to the Christian-Muslim Conference to be held in Belgium in October? “There is a growing awareness that as faithful we must jointly seek to understand which contribution we can offer to Europe on issues such as the relationship between politics and religion, and between religion and secularity, as well as on the freedom of religion and the situation of believers in a secularized world. There is an increasing need to identify ways in which we can promote knowledge, respect, mutual understanding and cooperation between Muslims and Christians and above all, how to erect bridges, despite the presence of serious issues such as extremisms and the attempts to manipulate religion or the name of God for violent choices”. Was there any mention of the need for self-criticism on this issue?“This is the point we both intend to start from. The partners we met in Esztergom said they would be available and we intend to continue being part of the picture. Pages of violence have been written throughout the history of all religions. In Brussels we would like to invite people with whom we could undertake this process”. There is also the letter consigned past October to the leadership of Christian Churches by 138 Muslim leaders … “It has been underlined that perhaps for the very first time in that document Muslims quote Christian Scriptures according to our source and not mediated by the Koran, with great respect for the source of Christian revelation. The letter brings out the attempt to recover a common basis for dialogue, pertaining to sacredness. We are men of religion, aware of our diversity but bound to the fact that we are both believers. Our meeting should be grounded on this ‘sacral’ basis. The letter received warm reception from the Catholic Church and paved the way to promising initiatives. Indeed, a Catholic-Muslim study forum is being planned and an audience of the 138 Muslim leaders with Benedict XVI is presently being envisaged. What was its reception in the Muslim World?“This is precisely the problem pointed out also by our friends who took part in the meeting: the gap between the promoters of the dialogue and the grassroots level. Most Muslims are not aware of this document nor of the meetings and the dialogue under way. We believe that a lot of work still needs to be done. For this purpose we wish to invite in Malines also Muslims who represent this part of Islam which is more widespread. We want to try to involve everyone in the dialogue”. Which form of cooperation could be undertaken at European level? “There already exist different experiences at local level. We can work together on a series of different issues. For example, despite different approaches we can cooperate to ensure that societies support the family; to jointly combat life-related risks connected with the technological and scientific development; environmental defense and broad issues pertaining to justice and poverty”.