Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2007 / Muslim-Catholic talks were fruitful, participants say
Muslim-Catholic talks were fruitful, participants say
Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published November 2, 2007
Mission statement
Participants in the latest round of the Muslim-Catholic Dialogue, held Oct. 21-23 in Dearborn, adopted the following mission statement:
Catholics and Muslims engage in interreligious dialogue because it is part of our core identities as people of faith.
Our common belief in the one God of mercy and love calls us into relationship with one another; therefore we see our dialogue as a spiritual journey.
Common ethical concerns compel us to take responsibility for our relationship within U.S. American society.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Islamic Society of North America sponsor our annual gathering of official representatives for formal dialogue on topics of mutual concern.
Our dialogue provides a forum for Muslim-Catholic discussion, critique, and exchange of information that is supportive of the programs of our respective institutions. |
Detroit — Both Catholic and Muslim participants said the latest round of the Midwest Muslim-Catholic Dialogue, held Oct. 21-23 in Dearborn, yielded progress.
"I thought it went reasonably well. We adopted a mission statement for future talks," said Fr. Francis Tiso, associate director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.
Auxiliary Bishop Francis Reiss, Catholic co-chair of the on-going dialogue, said, "I felt a consensus was rising at the meeting. As we continue from here, we are going to move forward on a spiritual journey."
He urged participants to adopt the mission statement in order to concretize their work and guide their future collaboration.
Bishop Reiss said he hopes next year's round of talks, set for Oct. 26-28 in Gary, Ind., would result in the adoption of a vision statement and a set of measurable goals and objectives.
While participants began a discussion of the issue of religious freedom, Bishop Reiss characterized the discussion as primarily providing information, with any deeper consideration of the issue having to wait until next year.
The talks were hosted by Imam Hassan al-Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, the largest mosque in the United States.
Imam al-Qazwini, in welcoming the participants to this year's talks, cited recent efforts on the part of Muslim leaders to call for a worldwide, permanent dialogue between Catholics and Muslims. In his presentation, Sayyid Syeed, national director of the Islamic Society of North America, highlighted common concerns of Muslims and Catholics, expressing appreciation for Catholic support in areas of social ethics and religious freedom that are of concern to American Muslims.
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