INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE AND PEACE
Ramadan: the wishes of the bishopsCatholic bishops in France, Algeria and Belgium sent their wishes to their Muslim brothers who according to the lunar calendar, began the holy Ramadan festivity on September 1st that will end with the celebration of Aid el Fitr (the breaking of the fast) from September 30th to October 1st. The archbishop of Lyon, Cardinal Philipe Barbarin, entrusted his prayers to the Muslim community in his diocese. He asked God “to make of each one of us conveyors of peace and love”. The department for relations with Islam of the diocese of Nanterre prepared a post-card of good wishes for Muslim friends for the end of Ramadan festivity, “this gesture is always greatly appreciated by the Muslims”. The message of Msgr. Claude Rault, bishop of Laghouat-Ghardaia (Algerian Sahara) stated: “On behalf of the members of the Catholic community of Algerian Sahara I convey my wishes for this sacred moment propitiating closeness to God, to our neighbors, with the families and friends. We can imagine what this effort of fasting represents… God is the One who explores our hearts and we pray to him that this effort may be offered for his glory and for greater solidarity with the poor. A Good and Holy Ramadan to our Muslim friends, and may the Lord receive this blessed moment”. A caravan of women for peace The world “Caravan of women for peace”, the extraordinary initiative of the Protestant Churches, which took off in Morocco a year ago covering thousands of kilometers from Africa to the Indian Ocean, from the Pacific to Latin America, is reaching its final stage. Throughout this journey, women, the protagonists of this initiative, conveyed the testimony of their commitment for peace and reconciliation with inter-confessional and inter-religious encounters. The purpose of the trip is “to bring the seeds of hope, healing and reconciliation”, arousing in the local churches “the yearning to be places of hope, and to spread a culture of peace”. The Caravan – is stated in the news release of the French Bishops’ Conference – reached Marseilles, France, on August 31st and will be received throughout the Country (from Ollieres to Strasbourg) with a series of ecumenical meetings and conferences. On September 21st – the World Peace Day – the caravan will conclude its long trip through Switzerland.Caucasus: a delegation of the WCCA delegation of the World Council of Churches will be in Russia and Georgia on September 3 – 7 where a series of meetings will take place with representatives of WCC-member Churches. The purpose of the trip – is stated in a Note – “is to encourage efforts for peace, to pay visit to the refugees and verify the implementation of the aid programs promoted by Churches in the region”. “We hope that this visit will encourage Christians living in the two Countries to preserve relations and pray for one another – claimed Eleonora Giddings Ivory -. If Christians living in Georgia and Russia manage to avert the divisions between their two Countries, they will be able to help their governments reach a peaceful resolution of the conflict”. The delegation plans to meet the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church and of the Orthodox Church in Georgia. The purpose of the trip is also that of assessing the state of humanitarian aid made available by the WCC’s international body “ACT”. Metropolitan bishop Nifon de Targoviste from the Orthodox Romanian Church will head the delegation. The delegation includes, among others, Jean Arnold De Clermont, President of the Conference of European Churches. Orissa: the appeal of archbishop WilliamsThe archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, expressed “his profound sadness for the external violence that broke out in Orissa following the murder of the Hindu leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati. In a letter sent to the Anglican moderator of the region of Northern India, Dr. Rowan Williams made an appeal to end hostilities in Orissa and called world Christians to pray for “these suffering Churches”. “I hope – the archbishop said – that Christians and all world faithful will convey their opposition to these acts of violence, their support to heal the wounds, to rebuild churches, orphanages and schools along with their encouragement for a future of reconciliation in the Country”.
