WCC NEWS: International Christian-Muslim consultation opens in Geneva

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World Council of Churches - News

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM CONSULTATION OPENS IN GENEVA

For immediate release: 02 November 2010

“Our theology is not the same,” said Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin
Talal of Jordan, “but we are all in the same boat.” The prince was
addressing an assembly of Christians and Muslims gathered in Geneva,
Switzerland to mark the beginning on Monday of a four-day 
international
consultation on Muslim-Christian dialogue.

People of faith face the same problems and opportunities in the
contemporary world, according to Prince Ghazi. Coming together to 
fulfill
our shared commitment to love God and love one’s neighbour, he added,
“is the right thing to do.”

Prince Ghazi was one of two keynote speakers on the theme 
“Transforming
Communities: Christians and Muslims Building a Common Future.” The
prince serves as personal envoy and special advisor to King Abdullah 
II of
Jordan and as chairperson of the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for 
Islamic
Thought.

The second keynote address was given by the Right Rev. Dr Anders 
Wejryd,
archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden. He affirmed the two 
great
commandments of love as common teachings of the religions descended 
from
Abraham, although he suggested that people of different cultures could
also find inspiration in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “a
grand achievement and a piece of good theology.”

Archbishop Wejryd observed that “there is no relevance for our 
religions
without identity – but on the other hand, there is no identity without
relevance. It is part of the identity both of the Prophet and of Jesus
Christ that they were totally relevant for the people they met.”

The “Transforming Communities” consultation has been organized under
the leadership of the Consortium of A Common Word, the Royal Aal 
al-Bayt
Institute of Jordan, the World Islamic Call Society based in Libya 
and the
World Council of Churches (WCC).

The dialogue is taking place at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, site 
of
the WCC central offices. Delegates to the conference and diplomats 
invited
to the opening session were joined by representatives of Christian 
world
communions who are meeting in Geneva this week. Church bodies and
organizations represented on Monday included the Roman Catholic, 
Orthodox,
Anglican, Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal traditions.

At the start of the proceedings, a welcome was offered by the Rev. Dr 
Olav
Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC. He commented on the varying
situations of the many societies from which participants have come.

Tveit remarked, “We are living in communities locally, nationally and
globally that are changing rapidly. More than that: as religious 
leaders
we are ourselves transforming communities. The question to all of us 
is
not whether we have an influence in the transformation of 
communities, but
what kind of influence do we have? We are here to talk to one another 
to
discover the kind of influence that we want to have together.”

Another welcoming statement was read from Dr Muhammad Ahmed Sharif, 
general
secretary of the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), whose arrival at 
the
consultation had been delayed. The statement was read by Dr Ibrahim 
Ali
Rabu, the WCIS director of conferences and institutions. Dr Sharif
encouraged participants in the dialogue to express their concerns 
clearly
and frankly: “Make sure that we understand each other.”

Greetings also were offered to the consultation members by leaders of 
the
Protestant and Muslim communities in Switzerland. Sheikh Yousef Ibram,
imam of the Geneva mosque, and the Rev. Dr Thomas Wipf, president of 
the
Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches as well as of the Swiss 
Council of
Religions, welcomed participants and briefly described the current 
state
of Muslim-Christian relations across Switzerland.

On Thursday morning, the Inter-religious Platform of Geneva will 
facilitate
orientation sessions on local interfaith relations during group 
visits to
St Pierre cathedral (Protestant Church of Geneva) and the Geneva 
mosque.

The opening events were moderated by Metropolitan Mor Gregorios 
Yohanna
Ibrahim, archbishop of Aleppo in the Syrian Orthodox Church of 
Antioch.


Speeches and photos are available on the website of the consultation
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=b27b33d31e4ca4ce166a )


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, 
witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship 
of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 
Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 
million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the 
Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse 
Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, 
Switzerland.



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