Muslim, Jewish, Christian leaders meet in Qatar, call for tolerance

Published: 2008-05-21

DOHA, Qatar (CNS) -- Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders holding an interreligious dialogue meeting in Qatar said all religions and all schools must teach tolerance for religious diversity and respect for human life. The sixth annual Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue was held in mid-May and included participation by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The theme of the gathering in Qatar was "Religious Values: Perspectives on Peace and Respect for Life." At the end of the meeting, participants issued a declaration saying they had discussed not only the values and ideals of their faiths, but also "some of the difficult and tragic issues which disfigure our world and create violence and injustice in so many contexts." The statement said, "In particular, we examined the ethical dimensions of issues such as suicide, abortion, euthanasia, human trafficking, sale of organs, violence in the media and desecration of religious symbols."

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