++ Ramadan: Italian bishops’ message to Muslims, “May peace be with you” ++

“May peace be with you! To celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, which is about to start, this is just the wish and the prayer that we feel we want to share with you and with all the men and women of good will, that all sorts of war and violence may end, and that peace which the world needs may be achieved”. This is the beginning of the message that monsignor Ambrogio Spreafico, bishop of Frosinone, Italy, and president of the Bishops Commission for ecumenism and interreligious dialogue of the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI), sent on behalf of the Italian bishops to all the Islamic communities that are in our country, the day before the start of the holy month of fasting that will concern 2 million Muslims in our country until June 24^th. “We are all aware – bishop Spreafico’s message goes on – how essential everyone’s cooperation is, to build a peace that is real and fair, that is bound to last. That’s exactly why we insist that we are willing and committed to creating opportunities to meet and get to know each other, to be friends and to share: so that our communities can jointly look at a present and a future of peace and cohabitation between different faiths and populations. To the only God, clement and merciful, we entrust the holy month of Ramadan, your and our communities, the journey we have done and the one we can and would like to do together. Ramadan mubarak, a blessed Ramadan, everybody”.