wfn.org | ACNS3398 Archbishop's statement on Christian-Muslim seminar

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

ACNS 3398     |     LAMBETH PALACE     |     10 April 2003

Archbishop's statement on Christian-Muslim seminar

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, in his capacity as Convenor
of the 2nd Building Bridges Christian-Muslim Seminar has issued a
communiqui. The text follows:

The second Building Bridges seminar, drawing together Muslim and Christian
scholars, has been meeting at Doha from 7-9 April 2003, at the invitation of
His Highness Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Amir of the State of
Qatar.

Meeting here, we could hardly be unaware of the conflict currently blighting
the region and we share some strong anxieties about aspects of the war and
its impact on people, communities and institutions.

Our work here involved examining the use and understanding of scripture in
Muslim and Christian thought. We were sent back to our own and to each
others' sacred texts to deepen our understanding. Muslims confess their
belief in the God who "brings the living out of the dead and He brings the
dead out of the living" (Qur'an, Sura 30 v 19-30). Christians strive to live
"in the presence of the God who gives life to the dead and calls into
existence the things that do not exist" (Romans 4:17). Without compromising
our respective convictions, we found it possible to listen to how each
tradition of faith understood this fundamental vision of the creator's
presence and action.

The seminar is part of a continuing process of dialogue between Muslims and
Christians. It is the very strong conviction of those involved in this
dialogue at a time of international tension, when both faith communities are
sometimes criticised and caricatured and when disagreements are presented in
dramatic and exaggerated ways, it is all the more important to give time and
energy to sustained efforts towards better understanding of the spiritual
and intellectual heart of each tradition.

We hope that our work here will contribute to the drawing together of our
traditions in a commitment to work together for a just and reconciled world.

+Rowan Cantuar

__________________________________
For details about the Enthronement of the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury,
the Most Revd Rowan D Williams, visit http://www.anglicancommunion.org/

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