(M. Chiara Biagioni, SIR’s correspondent in Brussels/ Malines) Muslims and Christians can and must join forces to "defend religious freedom and freedom of the conscience". This was said this morning by card. Jean Pierre Ricard, archbishop of Bordeaux and vice-president of Ccee, during the European Christian-Muslim Conference (taking place in Brussels from 20th to 23rd October) as he outlined the spheres in which Christians and Muslims can join forces. "It is in the nature of man to receive the truth, to open up to transcendence. This pursuit and this opening cannot but be free. And this implies the freedom of believing, of expressing one’s faith, of celebrating, teaching and showing it. "This religious freedom added the cardinal implies the respect of the freedom of the conscience: in other words, the possibility to freely adhere to or abandon a religion". Then, the cardinal spoke of "mutuality". "I do not know if that is the right word. But I know very well what is behind it, what is at stake: in other words, the credibility of the speeches that are made. Because one cannot claim full religious freedom somewhere and restrict it somewhere else". (continued)
