A positive example of dialogue
Recently Father Patrick McInerney from the Columban Mission Institute’s Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations gave a formal response to A Common Word, the 2007 open letter from Muslim leaders to Pope Benedict XVI, the Orthodox Patriarchs, the heads of the Protestant churches and “leaders of Christian Churches, everywhere”.* When the letter was first issued the Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations recognized its significance and published it in English and Arabic so that it would have a wider readership in Australia.
The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Vatican, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the World Council of Churches, and many other Christian organizations have already made formal responses to the letter. The gathering at Greenacre in inner Western Sydney was the first public forum of Christians and Muslims on this topic in Australia. It was hosted by Archbishop Issam Darwish of the Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Australia and New Zealand, the Australian Christian-Muslim Friendship Association, and the Melkite Welfare Association.
Ms Amal Dardass introduced the document. She summarised its background and content. The Muslim religious leaders propose that love of God and love of neighbour are common to both Christianity and Islam, and form a basis for common agreement and cooperation. Given that the authors represent a broad consensus across the spectrum of Muslim groups, the document is authoritative and merits the consideration of Christians and Muslims alike.
In his response Fr Patrick expressed his appreciation for the many positives in the document and indicated his basic agreement with the authors’ direction and intent. He acknowledged the scholarship of the authors and their very positive example of dialogue. They put their case simply, respectfully, and eloquently, backing their arguments with texts from the Qur’an and the Bible, inviting intelligent and informed response. However, Fr Patrick proposed some qualifications and nuances. For example, while love of God and love of neighbour are very important in Christianity, the true foundation of Christianity is not our love for God, but God’s love for us. This grounds the Christian acknowledgement that “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8), and the Christian confession of God as a community of love between the three persons of the Blessed Trinity.
However, although Christians and Muslims disagree over the nature and role of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, and the Church, they do agree on love and service of neighbour. Fr Patrick again quoted from the Bible to deepen and broaden the topic. When Jesus was asked “Who is my neighbour?” he recounted the familiar story of the Good Samaritan, and then asked “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" (Lk 10:25-37) Jesus turned the original question inside out. It is no longer “who is my neighbour?” with me at the centre - but the focus turns to the periphery, to those in need, and acting neighbourly towards them. What matters is not geographical proximity, who lives next door, but whether one shows practical compassion for those who suffer, no matter their tribe, nation or religion. In our world, where Christians and Muslims together make up over 50% of the world’s population, there is much that we can do together in responding to the needs of the poor, the hungry, the refugees and those who suffer injustices, war, and natural disasters.
Irfan Yousaf, a free-lance journalist and social commentator, then made a response. Irfan is Pakistani-born Muslim who migrated with his family as a young boy. He related his experiences of growing up and going to school in urban Australia. He argued that the recent tensions and conflicts that are reported in the media are cultural rather than religious, and commended A Common Word for bringing us back to the fundamentals of our respective religions, namely love of God and love of neighbour. His sociological analysis complemented Fr Patrick’s theological response.
Questions and answers followed. Then, after official thanks from the organizers, the evening concluded with Christians and Muslims continuing the conversation over refreshments.
Fr Patrick McInerney
Columban Vocations Coordinator
patrickmcinerney@columban.org.au
* Details of the document, the signatories and the official responses is available from the dedicated website www.acommonword.com.
