Leaders say Catholics, Muslims must check teaching for prejudice

Published: 2004-02-25

ROME (CNS) -- As religious leaders work to promote understanding and respect between Catholics and Muslims, they must be willing to examine their own history and teaching for signs of prejudice, said leaders involved in a formal dialogue. Representatives of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Permanent Committee for Dialogue with the Monotheistic Religions of Egypt's al-Azhar University, the center of Sunni Muslim learning, spoke about their dialogue Feb. 24 in Rome. "We are talking about how to avoid generalizations and how to initiate a type of self-criticism," said Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the pontifical council. Sheik Fawzi al-Zafzaf, president of the al-Azhar committee, said, "Unfortunately, the question of making generalizations -- promoting stereotypes -- is very current, not just among politicians but even among religious leaders, who should take more care."

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