"The purpose of Abraham’s religions is the coexistence of people in reconciliation and friendship. The memory of enmities and wars now distresses all men. Not to go through such grief ever again, we, as belonging to Abraham’s religions, in particular Christians and Muslims, have to accomplish some important tasks". Ridvan Cakir, president of the Turkish-Islamic Union of the Religion Institute, said this to Benedict XVI during the welcome address at tonight’s meeting in the archbishop’s palace in Cologne between the Pope and the delegates of some Muslim communities. The Muslim delegate, after speaking of the need to build friendships and relationships among people, quoted a passage from the Koran: "We created you as peoples and tribes, so that you could mutually know each other". And he noted: "The more people learn to know each other, the deeper their friendships. Every religion and its devotees have different sensitivities. We have a duty to respect them. We believe inter-religious and intercultural dialogue is extraordinarily important for a peaceful world. The more the religious and cultural communities learn from each other, the more they will understand there is no reason for dislike, but rather that there are many reasons for friendship and friendly coexistence". According to Cakir, "Turkey is a noteworthy example of the way different religions and culture may live together on friendly terms. Turkey’s EU accession process too is an important opportunity in this respect. We heartily support the dialogue that has been kick-started and carried out by the Vatican. May God let us continue it. We know this process can give an important contribution to friendship, to peace in the world and to mankind".
