(From our correspondents in Sydney) "We need to need to move all together in the same direction along the road of dialogue in pursuit of unity", said Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, apostolic nuncio in Egypt, at the meeting on inter-religious dialogue ("Australians face to face with faiths") which was held in Sydney yesterday evening, a kind of preview of today’s meeting between Benedict XVI and the representatives of the other religions. "To begin a new road we need to contemplate the Spirit and have the capacity to appreciate him", said Fitzgerald. According to David Knoll, delegate of the Jewish Council, "anti-semitism and prejudice need to be rejected to be able to work together, faith with faith, and to distinguish tolerance from respect". "Each life and each culture is universal Fitzgerald recalled ; we have celebrated the 40th anniversary of "Nostra Aetate"; we’re still working side by side and we must never forget we are children of the same God". The representative of the Australian Federation of Islam Council underlined, for his part, the importance of identity: "it should not be thought that Islam is a homogeneous community; often the problem has been the way in which Muslims behave. The message of peace and dialogue is universal; we need however to understand we are embarking on a common process. The problem is not communication, but putting into practice the message of peace and respect for mankind".
