|
Excerpts from some of Pope John
Paul II’s addresses pertaining to Christian-Muslim Relations
For a more complete set of statements
on Islam, see http://www.usccb.org/seia/textsislam.htm
- John Paul II, address to the Catholic community of Ankara, Turkey, November
29, 1979
“My brothers, when I think of this spiritual heritage (Islam) and the value
it has for man and for society, its capacity of offering, particularly in the
young, guidance for life, filling the gap left by materialism, and giving a
reliable foundation to social and juridical organization, I wonder if it is
not urgent, precisely today when Christians and Muslims have entered a new
period of history, to recognize and develop the spiritual bonds that unite
us, in order to preserve and promote together for the benefit of all men, ‘peace,
liberty, social justice and moral values’ as the Council calls upon us
to do (Nostra Aetate 3).”
- John Paul II, address to representatives of Muslims of the Philippines,
February 20, 1981
“I deliberately address you as brothers: that is certainly what we are,
because we are members of the same human family, whose efforts, whether
people realize it or not, tend toward God and the truth that comes from him.
But
we are especially brothers in God, who created us and whom we are trying
to reach, in our own ways, through faith, prayer and worship, through the keeping
of
his law and through submission to his designs. …”
- “Dear Muslims, my brothers: I would like to add
that we Christians, just like you, seek the basis and model of mercy in
God himself, the God to whom
your
Book gives the very beautiful name of al-Rahman, while the Bible
calls him al-Rahum, the Merciful One.”
- John Paul II, address to the bishops of North Africa on their ad
limina visit, Rome, November 23, 1981
“One of the essential characteristics of the life of the Church in Maghreb
is, in fact, to be invited to enter upon a constructive Islamic-Christian
dialogue. I am anxious to encourage you along this difficult way, where failure
may occur,
but where hope is even stronger. To maintain it, strong Christian convictions
are necessary. …
- “But it can never be said enough that such a dialogue
is in the first place a question of friendship; one must know how to give
dialogue the time
for progress and discernment. That is why it is surrounded by discretion
out
of a concern to be considerate with regard to the slowness of the evolution
of mentalities.”
- John Paul II, address to the participants in
a symposium on “Holiness
in Christianity and in Islam,” Rome, May 9, 1985
“All true holiness comes from God, who is called ‘The Holy One’ in the sacred
books of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Your holy Qur’an calls God ‘Al-Quddus,’
as in the verse: ‘He is God, besides whom there is no other, the Sovereign,
the Holy, the (source of) Peace’ (Qur’an 59, 23). The prophet Hosea links God’s
holiness with his forgiving love for mankind, a love which surpasses our ability
to comprehend: ‘I am God, not man; I am the Holy One in your midst and have
no wish to destroy’ (Ho 11:9). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches his
disciples that holiness consists in assuming, in our human way, the qualities
of God’s own holiness which he has revealed to mankind: ‘Be holy, even as your
heavenly Father is holy’ (Mt 5:48).
- John Paul II, address to representatives of the Muslims of Belgium, May
19, 1985
“It is a good thing to come to understand each other by learning to accept
differences, by overcoming prejudices in mutual respect, and by working
together for reconciliation and service to the lowliest. This is a fundamental
dialogue
which must be practiced in neighborhoods, in places of work, in schools.
This is the dialogue which is proper to believers who live together in a modern
and pluralistic society.
- “It has not been granted to us that we form a single community; this is, rather,
a test which has been imposed upon us. In confronting this situation, allow
me to repeat the advice of the Apostle Paul: ‘Those who have placed their faith
in God should set their hearts on the practice of what is good’ (Tt 3:8).
- John Paul II , address to the young Muslims of Morocco, August 19, 1985
“I believe that we, Christians and Muslims, must recognize with joy the religious
values that we have in common, and give thanks to God for them. Both
of us believe in one God, the only God, who is all justice and all mercy; we
believe
in the importance of prayer, of fasting, of almsgiving, of repentance
and of pardon; we believe that God will be a merciful judge to us all at the
end of time, and we hope that after the resurrection He will be satisfied
with us and we know that we will be satisfied with him.
- “Loyalty demands also that we should recognize
and respect our differences. Obviously the most fundamental is the view
that we hold onto the person
and work of Jesus of Nazareth. You know that, for Christians, Jesus causes
them
to enter into an intimate knowledge of the mystery of God and into the
filial communion by His gifts, so that they recognize Him and proclaim Him
Lord and
Savior.
- “Those are the important differences which we
can accept with humility and respect, in mutual tolerance; this is a mystery
about which, I am certain,
God will one day enlighten us.
- “Christians and Muslims, in general we have badly
understood each other, and sometimes, in the past, we have opposed and
often exhausted each other
in polemics
and in wars.
- “I believe that today, God invites us to change
our old practices. We must respect each other, and we must stimulate each
other in good works on
the path of God.
- John Paul II, address to a group of Christians, Jews and Muslims, February
26, 1986
“Both the Bible and the Qur’an teach that mercy and justice are two attributes
most characteristic of God. He, ‘the Just One,’ ‘the Merciful, the Compassionate,’ can
bring about these same qualities in mankind, if only we open our hearts
to allow him to do so. He wants us to be merciful toward each other. Along
this path there are new solutions to be found to the political, racial
and confessional conflicts which have plagued the human family throughout
history.
- “I wish to encourage you in your efforts. In today’s world, it is more important
than ever that people of faith place at the service of humanity their religious
conviction, founded on the daily practice of listening to God’s message
and encountering him in prayerful worship. My prayers and hopes are with
you as
you pursue your reflection on the God of mercy and justice, the God of
peace and reconciliation!”
- John Paul II at Assisi, October 27, 1986, prays
for peace together with representatives of the world’s religions
- John Paul II, address to the delegation of the World Islamic Call Society,
Rome, 15 January 1990
“… Both Christians and Muslims are called to defend the inviolable right of
each individual to freedom of religious belief and practice. There have been
in the past, and there continue to be in the present, unfortunate instances
of misunderstanding, intolerance and conflict between Christians and Muslims,
especially in circumstances where either Muslims or Christians are a minority
or are guest workers in a given country. It is our challenge as religious leaders
to find ways to overcome such difficulties in a spirit of justice, brotherhood
and mutual respect. …”
- John Paul II, to H. E. Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar,
Cairo, February 24, 2000
“I express my great gratitude for this opportunity and I greet all the eminent
scholars gathered here. I am convinced that the future of the world depends
on the various cultures and on interreligious dialogue.”
- John Paul II, at the International Airport, Amman, Jordan, March 20, 2000
“Building a future of peace requires an ever more mature understanding and
ever more practical cooperation among the peoples who acknowledge the one
true, indivisible God, the Creator of all that exists. The three historical monotheistic
religions count peace, goodness and respect for the human person among
the
highest values. I earnestly hope that my visit will strengthen the already
fruitful Christian-Muslim dialogue which is being conducted in Jordan,
particularly through the Royal Interfaith Institute.”
-
John Paul II, to the ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, September
7, 2000
“In a world deeply marked by violence, it is bitterly ironic that even now
some of the worst conflicts are between believers who worship the one
God, who look to Abraham as a holy patriarch and who seek to follow the Law of
Sinai.
Each act of violence makes it more urgent for Muslims and Christians
everywhere to recognize the things we have in common, to bear witness that we
are all
creatures of the one merciful God, and to agree once and for all that
recourse to violence in the name of religion is completely unacceptable. Especially
when religious identity coincides with cultural and ethnic identity it
is a
solemn duty of believers to ensure that religious sentiment is not used
as an excuse for hatred and conflict. Religion is the enemy of exclusion and
discrimination;
it seeks the good of everyone and therefore ought to be a stimulus for
solidarity and harmony between individuals and among peoples”
- John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte 55, January 6, 2001
“It is in this context (of openness to God’s grace) also that we should consider
the great challenge of interreligious dialogue to which we shall still
be committed in the new millennium, in fidelity to the teachings of the Second
Vatican Council
(Cf. Second Vatican Council, declaration Nostra Aetate). . .
. This dialogue must continue. In the climate of increased cultural
and religious
pluralism which is expected to mark the society of the new millennium,
it is obvious that this dialogue will be especially important in establishing
a sure
basis for peace and warding off the dread specter of those wars of
religion which have so often bloodied human history. The name of the
one God must
become increasingly what it is: a name of peace and a summons to peace.”
- John Paul II, address on his Visit to the Umayyad
Great Mosque, May 6, 2001 – first pope to enter a mosque
“It is in mosques and churches that the Muslim and Christian communities shape
their religious identity, and it is there that the young receive
a significant part of their religious education. What sense of identity is instilled
in young
Christians and young Muslims in our churches and mosques? It is my
ardent hope that Muslim and Christian religious leaders and teachers will present
our two
great religious communities as communities in respectful dialogue,
never more as communities in conflict. It is crucial for the young to be taught
the ways
of respect and understanding, so that they will not be led to misuse
religion itself to promote or justify hatred and violence. Violence destroys
the image
of the Creator in his creatures and should never be considered as
the fruit of religious conviction.
- “I truly hope that our meeting today in the Umayyad
mosque will signal our determination to advance interreligious dialogue
between the Catholic
Church
and Islam. This dialogue has gained momentum in recent decades; and
today we can be grateful for the road we have traveled together so far.
|
