West African bishops call for Muslim-Christian cooperation, dialogue

Published: 2007-10-16

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (CNS) -- English-speaking bishops from West Africa called for new avenues of Christian-Muslim dialogue and said the two religions' "similar fundamental religious values" could be the basis for peace and cooperation. "We want to open new doors in dialogue because we believe that this is the only way that we can truly cultivate respect for each other and together stand up for human dignity and peace," the bishops said. Bishops from the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Anglophone West Africa made the remarks in a statement released at the end of their Oct. 5-12 assembly in Freetown. The theme of the assembly was "The Church and Christian-Muslim Collaboration in West Africa." The bishops -- from Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone -- said dialogue is a way to recall "times when communities lived in peace with each other, but it also offers space for listening to stories and experiences replete with painful memories of controversy and rift that have conditioned the present."

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