Pope invites Muslim scholars to meet with him, dialogue council

Published: 2007-11-29

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has responded to a letter from 138 Muslim scholars by inviting a group of them to meet with him and with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The papal response, released Nov. 29, came in a letter to Jordan's Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, president of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Amman and architect of the Muslim scholars' project. The letter, signed Nov. 19 by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, said the pope wanted "to express his deep appreciation" for the statement of the Muslim scholars, "for the positive spirit which inspired the text and for the call for a common commitment to promoting peace in the world." The statement, originally signed by 138 Muslim scholars but later endorsed by dozens of others, was addressed to Pope Benedict and the heads of other Christian churches. Titled "A Common Word Between Us and You," the text was released in early October and called for new efforts at Christian-Muslim dialogue based on the shared belief in the existence of one God, in God's love for humanity and in people's obligation to love one another.

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