Inter-religious dialogue

The topic of inter-religious dialogue has popped up occasionally in a parallel thread on ecumenism, and I think Pope Francis' visit to Indonesia is perhaps a good moment to open a thread on this topic in this Christianity group. I think the headline "May we cultivate friendship as pilgrims on our way to God" really sums it up very succinctly.

Pope at mosque in Indonesia: May we cultivate friendship as pilgrims on our way to God (Vatican News)

Pope Francis visits Indonesia’s Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta for an interreligious meeting, and pays tribute to the people’s “great gift” of working for dialogue, mutual respect, and harmonious coexistence, to which we are all called...

>1 John5918: Frankly, if these words do not resonate with you I would fear for the state of your soul.

>3 brone:

I would say that "the instrument of reference" would be discerned in prayerful and sincere dialogue by people of good will of all faiths.

>5 brone: My understanding (not independently verified) is that Mary is mentioned more often in the Koran than in the New Testament, and that Lourdes is a destination for Islamic women.

>9 brone: Pretty much agree with everything you’ve said here.

>9 brone:, >10 booksaplenty1949:

I would disagree.

Not all religions seek the same God

As Christians we know there is only one God. Therefore, almost by definition, any person of good will who sincerely seeks God is seeking the same God, because there is only one God. Of course that doesn't mean that all have the same level of understanding of that one God.

Clearly the three great monotheistic religions worship the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Again, they have different understandings of that one God, with the Judaic understandng of God primarily based on the Torah, the Christian understanding of God modified by Jesus the Christ and the New Testament, and Islamic understanding again modified by the Prophet Muhammad and the Holy Qur'an.

And of course there are some in all major religions and none who seek false gods, which can indeed be "wrong and potentially dangerous". These false gods include wealth, power, political ideologies, ego, militarism, violence and others, many of them mentioned in the bible.

Claiming that all religions have equal weight

I'm not aware that Pope Francis has claimed this. It would be helpful if you could cite a source.

But in a climate where there is a great deal of violence within and between Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists and others, recommending that all should live together in peace rather than competing to prove who is right (or who has more "weight") is not "an extraordinarily flawed idea". Calling on people of good will within the different faiths to build on what they have in common rather than fight about their differences does not undermine the Christian message of love and peace. Working together nonviolently for peace and justice, for a better world for everyone, for the people of Sudan, Palestine, Israel, Russia and Ukraine, for the Rohingya and Uyghurs, for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers of all faiths and none, would seem to me to be a potent sign of the Kingdom of God in action.

his ghost writer

I find that rather a strange term. Virtually every major church document is written not by an individual, be they a pope or a cardinal, but by a group of pastors, theologians and other experts. It is also then proofread, edited and checked (and fact-checked) by many other departments, groups and individuals. While it contains the thoughts and intentions of the officially named author(s), it is always a group endeavour. I was once told by an official within the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that in their case it's a six-month process, and those who edit and vet their documents include lawyers. I myself have been part of drafting processes, which in my experience are always a team effort.

>12 brone:

Thanks, yes, I think we agree that there are different understandings of God amongst the three monotheistic faiths; as I said in my previous post, the Jewish understanding of the God of the Torah was modified by the Christian New Testament and the Muslim Qur'an. But different human understandings do not change the nature of God. God is who God is: "I am Who I am" (Exodus 3:14). So despite our different and changing understandings, the God we worship differently is still the same God.

As for the "path to God", who knows how many paths to God there are? It is a different journey for each individual, and for each community.

And God does not exist solely within a set of intellectual assertions. Knowing God is also experiential, and leads to actions. There are many who would differ from a particular set of definitions of God but who, through their life and activity, probably know God better than many theologians, bible scholars, religious leaders and even internet posters. Gandhi remained a devout Hindu, but openly acknowledged the influence that Jesus' life and teachings had on him. Was he not on the path to God? The Muslims in Sudan who have helped and supported their Christian neighbours in the face of oppression by some of their Muslim coreligionists, often leading to dire consequences for themselves; are they not on the path to God? The Hindu shopkeeper in London who, when I was caught up in a particularly dangerous situation in Sudan forty years ago which even made it as far as the BBC, told my mother, "We've heard about your son and we're praying for him in our temple"; was he not on the path to God? All those people of good will throughout the world of all faiths and none who do God's will, whether they know it and understand it or not, are they not on the path to God? As Jesus said, “Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:38-40).

>13 John5918: These practical examples are not the same as a philosophical statement, however.

>14 booksaplenty1949:

Well exactly. My life experience as a Christian missionary has led me not to focus solely on philosophy, without denying its value, and to hold it in balance, or even creative tension, with praxis.

>16 brone: flying off to the margins of the world

Really? That's a rather Eurocentric or US-centric view of the world. Most of the Catholics in the world are not in Europe or the USA, but in these "margins". As it happens, I believe East Timor is the most Catholic country in the world (99% Christian, with 97% identifying as Catholics*). And while most of the countries he's visiting on this trip are not highly Catholic, is it not in countries where Catholics are an often marginalised minority that a solidarity visit from the Holy Father can do a lot of good? And is it not in countries where many people have never really come across Christianity that a high profile visit from someone such as the pope can give a boost to missionary efforts? And didn't Jesus always reach out to people on the margins?

his major documents are lightweight

I would disagree with you there as, I think, would most of those who have studied his documents, and continue to do so as they are too deep (heavyweight) to absorb in full from a single reading. Laudato Si', Amoris Laetitia and his address for the 2017 World Day of Peace, Nonviolence: A New Style of Politics for Peace, are just three that I know firsthand have created great interest, excitement and further study. Many of his less well known documents also address important issues very deeply and thoughtfully.

its just not important to be Catholic

I haven't seen that quote anywhere (perhaps you can cite a link for me?), but it has to be taken in context. All people are to be respected for who they are; Catholics are not special or better than anyone else. That's an important message in a country where ony 3% of the people are Christian.

Can anyone explain to me how this man was elected to lead the Catholic Church

Well, yes. The majority of the cardinals of the Catholic Church voted for him, as per age-old Catholic tradition. These are cardinals most of whom were appointed by his predecessors, Popes John Paul II and Benedict VI, whom I think you approve of. Obviously they (and the vast majority of Catholics outside of small pockets of resistance in one or two countries in the Global North) could see something in him which you don't.

* Timor-Leste: the UN-member state with the highest percentage of Catholics (Radio Veritas Asia)

>15 John5918: It would be interesting to explore to what degree ideas about God are influenced by the majority religion in one’s country of residence, or other cultural forces. I recall in some novel in The Raj Quartet a Sunday school teacher in a mission school observed a little girl colouring a picture of Jesus and giving him blue skin.

>18 booksaplenty1949:

Indeed. African images of Jesus have been the norm continuously since at least the fourth century CE, notably in Ethiopia, with a resurgence in many other parts of Africa over the last half century or so.

-_-

>19 John5918: And not just appearance, but also attributes such as, say, “fatherliness.”

>21 booksaplenty1949:

Yes, I think you are raising issues which are often classed under the term "inculturation". Christian praxis and theology have been influenced by local religion and culture since the earliest times, beginning with the controversy in the early Church around 50 CE where some believed all male Christians should be circumcised (because that was how it was in the religious and cultural milieu in which they found themselves) whereas others argued that it was an unnecessary obstacle for gentiles (who came from a different religous and cultural milieu) (Acts 15). Early Christianity was then influenced by Greek, Roman and other cultures. Much later, different European cultures dominated the eastern and western Christian churches, giving us Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, and later still western European culture and politics led to the protestant reformation. More recently still, US culture has arguably been foundational for many of the independent evangelical protestant churches. And since the end of colonialism, African and Asian churches have been exploring how their own cultures can contribute to Christianity.

That's a hopelessly oversimplified and incomplete summary of a vast topic. There is a thread on inculturation in the Catholic Tradition group which might be worth looking at for some clues, but only members can post on that group. For those interested in some follow up reading, two theological giants of African inculturation are Anglican John Mbiti and Catholic Laurenti Magesa. A well known current author is Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator - his small book Theology Brewed in an African Pot is an easy read. Inculturation is also a major theme in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

Or we could start a new thread on inculturation in this group?

Following up >17 John5918: Pope Francis Says the Catholic Church is "more alive" Outside of Europe (ACI Africa)

Pope Francis on Wednesday said the Catholic Church is “more alive” outside of Europe as he reflected back on his recent apostolic journey to Southeast Asia. “A first reflection that comes spontaneously after this trip is that in thinking about the Church we are still too Eurocentric, or, as they say, ‘Western,’” the pope said in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 18. “But in reality, the Church is much bigger, much bigger than Rome and Europe … and may I say much more alive in these countries,” he added... expressed his enthusiasm for the “missionary, outgoing Church” he encountered on his visit to the four island nations in Asia and Oceania. In Indonesia, where only 3% of the Muslim-majority country’s population is Catholic, Pope Francis said that he encountered “a lively, dynamic Church, capable of living and transmitting the Gospel”... Pope Francis commented that the missionaries and catechists were the “protagonists” of his visit to Papua New Guinea, where the pope was welcomed by the beating drums of some of the country’s Indigenous tribes who have accepted the Catholic faith...

The pope must have been reading my mind!

>24 brone: refused even to catechize the few catholic kids he was speaking to

Really? How do you work that out? It seems to me that almost everthing he says was catechesis.

>24 brone:

In a Secularized Luxembourg, Pope Francis Tells Catholics to Evangelize Europe (ACI Africa)

Pope Francis landed in Luxembourg on Thursday, the first stop in a four-day tour of two historically Christian countries in Europe, both of which are experiencing steep declines in religious adherence amid the spread of secularization... pope spent one day visiting the tiny but wealthy Luxembourg, where he called on politicians to be led by spiritual values and local Catholics to carry out a “missionary proclamation” of the Gospel... he “would like to emphasize that we are in need of a Europe and a world in which the Gospel will be shared through the words you proclaim together with your loving actions”...

No ambiguity here!

>12 brone:

The Benedictus antiphon for today's Morning Prayer is "If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, then in truth I tell you, they will most certainly not lose their reward" (Mark 9:41). That's a clear endorsement of all those non-Christians who have been helful and supportive of the Christian Church and individual Christians, the type of people I mentioned as examples in >12 brone:.

>27 John5918: Contemporary Jews have formally recognised those non-Jewish “Righteous Among the Nations” who acted during the Shoah to save Jewish lives. This honour conveys the right to Israeli citizenship. Over 28,000 people have been so recognised, including a canonised saint and a number of Blesseds.

>29 brone:

Yes, we baptise people in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Are you suggesting otherwise? Like you, I've never heard of anyone suggesting we baptise in the name of other gods. But we also respect people of good will who seek God in a different way, and we recognise something of God's grace in their goodness even though their understanding of God is not the same as ours. Catholic Church teaching is very clear on this - cf Nostra aetate. We believe our understanding to be more correct (if we thought theirs was better, why would we remain Catholic or Christian?) but that shouldn't set us at odds with them.

Guide to Peacemaking Using Islamic Principles

"Guide to Peacemaking Using Islamic Principles" is a pioneering resource that bridges the gap between traditional Islamic teachings and contemporary peacebuilding strategies. Aimed at international mediators, diplomats, and policymakers, it identifies the commonalities and delves into the synergies between Islamic values and international norms, offering insights and strategies to enhance peace processes around the globe.

The guide challenges conventional Western-oriented mediation techniques by integrating the rich peacemaking traditions of Islam with international norms, offering new insights to resolve contemporary conflicts in Muslim majority socities.

Authored by experts in diplomacy and peacebuilding, including Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, Dr. Houda Abadi, Professor Mark Muller Stuart, and Special Adviser Eldridge Adolfo, this guide also incorporates insights from over a hundred top Islamic scholars and global peace practitioners. The principles outlined in the guide has been stress tested in onflict settings such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, and Syria.

Pope Francis receives Abrahamic Family House Delegation in Vatican (Vatican News)

Pope Francis received on Monday a delegation from the Abrahamic Family House in the Vatican. The House is a single complex which encompasses in the United Arab Emirates' capital of Abu Dhabi, a synagogue, a church and a mosque. The unique structure, inaugurated in early 2023, promotes and further facilitates the living out of interreligious coexistence and harmony laid out in the historic 2019 Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together... Located in the Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi, the Abrahamic Family House is a centre for learning, dialogue and faith...

Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism Key Pillars to Peace-building (AMECEA)

The AMECEA Secretariat has facilitated a two-day training for heads of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue departments from the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam, Dioceses of Mtwara and Kondoa, to support strengthening ecumenical and inter-religious structures, capacity and skills development, partnerships and collaboration for broader impacts in respective dioceses and national at large...

It’s 1446 in the Islamic calendar. I think we’ll agree that interreligious dialogue and ecumenism weren’t much of a thing when it was 1446 in the Christian world. It took many centuries for Christians to accept that faith in the truth of Christian beliefs was consistent with legal toleration of other religions.

>34 booksaplenty1949: I agree with you, if only Muslims would tolerate Christians as well.+JMJ+

This may be of interest to those who promote the narrative of Islam as a violent monolith.

Gaza’s top Islamic scholar issues fatwa criticising 7 October attack (BBC)

The most prominent Islamic scholar in Gaza has issued a rare, powerful fatwa condemning Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the devastating war in the Palestinian territory. Professor Dr Salman al-Dayah, a former dean of the Faculty of Sharia and Law at the Hamas-affiliated Islamic University of Gaza, is one of the region’s most respected religious authorities, so his legal opinion carries significant weight among Gaza’s two million population, which is predominantly Sunni Muslim... Dr Dayah’s fatwa, which was published in a detailed six-page document, criticises Hamas for what he calls “violating Islamic principles governing jihad”. Jihad means “struggle” in Arabic and in Islam it can be a personal struggle for spiritual improvement or a military struggle against unbelievers. Dr Dayah adds: “If the pillars, causes, or conditions of jihad are not met, it must be avoided in order to avoid destroying people’s lives. This is something that is easy to guess for our country’s politicians, so the attack must have been avoided.” For Hamas, the fatwa represents an embarrassing and potentially damaging critique, particularly as the group often justifies its attacks on Israel through religious arguments to garner support from Arab and Muslim communities... Dr Dayah points to Quranic verses and the Sunnah that set strict conditions for the conduct of jihad, including the necessity of avoiding actions that provoke an excessive and disproportionate response by an opponent. His fatwa highlights that, according to Islamic law, a military raid should not trigger a response that exceeds the intended benefits of the action. He also stresses that Muslim leaders are obligated to ensure the safety and well-being of non-combatants, including by providing food, medicine, and refuge to those not involved in the fighting...

These conditions sound very similar to the criteria for a "just war" in the Christian tradition.

>37 brone:

I have not yet seen any reports that identify the football hooligans as "Jihadists". As far as I can see Israeli fans attacked pro-Palestinians and pro-Palestinians attacked Israeli fans, putting them both in the wrong, but unfortunately the attacks on Israelis also appeared to have anti-Semitic elements. See for example BBC, Guardian and Al Jazeera.

Any and all violence is wrong, regardless of who perpetrates it. There are many Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders who would support that stance. Unfortunately there are also many Christians, Jews and Muslims who don't.

>38 John5918: What you said.

Further analysis of the recent violence in Amsterdam: ‘Toxic cocktail’ led to Amsterdam violence, mayor says (Guardian), "Antisemitism, hooliganism and anger over Gaza war all factors in trouble that broke out last week". I quote the following at length as it demonstrates that this was not an unprovoked act of anti-Semitism but was actually an (inappropriate and unjustified but perhaps understandable) reaction to violence initiated by Israeli football hooligans.

Ten residents of Israel were among those arrested, the report said, in the first public acknowledgment that Maccabi supporters may have broken the law. The report shows that police were concerned about “fanatic” supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv a day before Thursday’s game, and confirmed police reports that Maccabi hooligans, some in face coverings, pulled down a Palestinian flag, shouted slogans and attacked a taxi with their belts. The police later saw “online calls that appeared for taxi drivers to mobilise” against the Maccabi fans. At 11am on Thursday, the mayor and police held a meeting that mainly concerned “the aggression of the Maccabi supporters and the reaction of taxi drivers to it”. A call was made to the Israeli ambassador before the match, asking that they made sure the Israeli government was clear that “sports is not mixed with politics”. By Thursday afternoon, police noticed that messages on social media had increased “indicating the willingness to take action against Maccabi supporters”, with a tone that had “hardened” with “antisemitic terms being used”. That night, a large group of Maccabi supporters walked around the city centre, some with sticks in their hands, and committed acts of vandalism, the report said. After midnight, local groups committed “violent hit-and-run actions aimed at Israeli supporters”, it said. “Rioters move in small groups, on foot, by scooter or car, briefly attack Maccabi supporters and then disappear again.”

>42 brone:

I'm not aware of whining nor of using the word "narrative" here. I'm simply reporting what the Mayor of Amsterdam said. The situation is usually far more complex than social media sound bites. In this particular case it would seem that Israeli football hooligans began this incident, which in no way justifies an anti-Semitic response, but which gives a fuller picture.

Instant news on social media can be very useful, but it is not fact-checked and often turns out to be wrong or at least incomplete and misleading, with fake footage being posted either deliberately or inadvertently. Mainstream media operates to professional standards, with fact checking and editorial oversight, and when it does make mistakes it usually admits them and makes corrections. In fact I do monitor a wide range of other media, including social media and including right wing outlets, but after comparing, cross checking and critically analysing all these different sources, I still prefer professional media such as the Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, Reuters, AP, etc.

>44 brone: “The late Queen’s chaplain” was actually one of 33 so-called Honorary Chaplains to the Sovereign, an honour given for distinguished service but not one which implies actual spiritual ministry to the Queen or King. The clergyman in question left the CofE in 2017 to join a “continuing” Anglican body. And I think that the “Defender of Faith” was an idea Charles floated in 1994—a while back. He certainly took the traditional title at his coronation in 2023.

Interesting how "great religions" expanded the number of people in our respective "tribes", e.g. we trust people more with whom we share beliefs, religious practices, e.g., prayer shawls. Yet, Diarmaid MacCulloch's tome, "The Reformation - A History", concluded that the process continuing in the US has us splintering into ever smaller, (less tolerant?) groups.

Functionally, some religions do better than others, e.g., in game theory challenges, Muslims were most honest in ways that would facilitate trade with ever larger groups.

Religions can harness our efforts into community building, e.g., digging canals for irrigation per Darwin's Cathedral. Unfortunately, our religious instincts have (all?) been played by the power-hungry in war and other anti-social actions per The True Believer.

>46 margd: Community-building and trust is clearly the solution to many of the world’s problems, and religion has both a positive and negative profile here. But one hopes that the positive profile is the more authentic.

>47 booksaplenty1949:

Yes, and in this context I think King Charles' wish to be "defender of faith" is significant. As the UK, and the western world in general, becomes more secular, it is crucial to recognise and defend the importance of religious faith, of all faith communities, not just the Church of England, and to promote their more positive and authentic side.

>48 John5918: As I noted, this was a comment then-Prince Charles made thirty years ago, I suspect with some idea of wanting the monarchy to appear “inclusive.” The people I meet who are most hostile to religion in general are usually his contemporaries: Boomers who rebelled against their church, etc--attending parents many decades ago and regard religion as politically conservative and intellectually indefensible.

>49 booksaplenty1949: I read that Prince William is (indifferent?) to religion. Wonder how that will play out when he ascends the throne: even more likely to be "defender of faith" -- plus lack thereof?

>40 John5918:, >42 brone:

Kneejerk response, then overcorrection: what the aftermath of the Amsterdam violence should teach us (Guardian)

Assumptions were made about clashes between Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and Amsterdam locals – and the far right took advantage... But then, as more evidence emerged, a more complex picture came into view. It was revealed that from the night before the match onwards, hardline supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv – a club with a reputation for racism and hooliganism among some of its fans – had torn down a Palestinian flag from the facade of a building and burned it, attacked one taxi with their belts, and vandalised others. Among the deplorable chants they saw fit to shout on the streets of Amsterdam, home to a large Muslim community, were: “Let the IDF Israeli army win, we will fuck the Arabs”, “Fuck you Palestine” and “Why is there no school in Gaza? There are no children left there.” Their words bring into focus the elephant in the room. Israel’s brutal war in Gaza, which has now killed upwards of 45,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, displaced most of the population and decimated the besieged territory with such ferocity as to render it uninhabitable. After a year in which many western politicians and commentators have seemed more concerned with, say, campus protests against the war than with the apocalyptic carnage in Gaza, historically illiterate pronunciations of a “pogrom” in the Dutch capital seemed to follow the same script: overlooking or downplaying Israeli violence...

>50 margd: https://www.seenandunseen.com/prince-williams-doubt-normal-its-impossible-be-cer... We’ll see. King Charles seems to be more with the program these days than he was at William’s age.

Why Nigerian Muslim Donated Modern 400-seater Assembly Hall to Nigeria’s Oyo Catholic Diocese (ACI Africa)

The Catholic Church’s centuries of humble service to humanity and her development record to society are among the reasons Alhaji Ahmed Raji, a Nigerian Muslim, has given for donating a modern 400-seater assembly hall to Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Oyo... Alhaji highlighted his earlier donation in 2022 of a state-of-the-art operating theater and equipment to Our Lady Catholic Hospital, Iseyin, describing the hospital as “a real beacon of grassroots healthcare” since his childhood. He praised the Church for saving lives and offering assistance through its medical and educational institutions, emphasizing that its grassroots efforts “do not discriminate against anyone.” He encouraged them to remain steadfast in their faith, value what they have, and “do as much good as they should,” spreading these values to others. Raji urged Catholics, especially the youth, not to abandon the Church... He encouraged them to remain steadfast in their faith, value what they have, and “do as much good as they should,” spreading these values to others...

35 people, mostly women, executed as witches: "...About eighty people were accused of practicing witchcraft in a witch-hunt that lasted throughout New England from 1647 to 1663. Thirteen women and two men were executed. The Salem witch trials followed in 1692–93, culminating in the executions of 20 people. Five others died in jail. ... Prosecutors in the American colonies generally preferred hanging in cases of witchcraft..." (Wikipedia)

Ooh, and then there were stocks, Scarlet Letters, and banishment (RI) for "lesser" sins.
Slavery, sins against indigenous people, and against Nature soon followed.
The good ol' days?

>55 margd:

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/597044-three-hundred-years-ago-people-in-englan...

>56 cpg: It’s my hope that more and more countries will come to see the death penalty for *any* crime, however heinous, as cruel and unnecessary.

>56 cpg: Right, and back then, virtually anybody who understood the world differently, was a devil-worshipper, e.g., native Americans. Not someone who approached God / Creator from a different direction. We still use different lenses for similar beliefs and practices, e.g., Thais build little houses for spirits their buildings displace and my Scottish ancestors saw fairies EVERYWHERE; Native Americans, Thais, and RCs (in a Detroit church) handle bones similarly. Not saying this well, except that thinking people don't really want to go back to reflexively intolerant times. IMO, anyway.

>57 booksaplenty1949:, >58 margd:

Well said, both of you.

Catholic priest awarded PhD in Christian, Islamic studies (Star)

A Catholic priest has earned a PhD in Christian and Islamic Studies, showcasing the power of dialogue and understanding of both religions. This has set the stage for conversations about unity, respect and common ground in the increasingly polarised world. Reverend Richard Airo, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocese of Mombasa, currently in charge of St Joseph Tudor Parish on Thursday graduated with a PhD in Christian and Islamic studies. Airo, who is also the director of Interreligious Dialogue, said his deep understanding of Islam and Christianity opens the door to more meaningful and nuanced interfaith dialogue. He said being well versed in the core teachings of each religion not only fosters mutual respect but also lays the groundwork for building bridges between communities. Airo noted that he studied Christian theology of other religions, Islamic history and civilisations, fundamentals for interreligious dialogue, Islamic sharia law and the Arabic language, and the history of Christian and Muslim relations, “Studying these courses opened my scope of understanding much more about Islam and I grew to love the religion,” he said...

The coastal area of Kenya has been largely Islamic for centuries and there has been little tension between the different faiths there, at least until recently when outside influences are being felt. While a Kenyan newspaper obviously plays up a story about a Kenyan who graduates in this field, in fact it is not rare. There are many many Christian priests and pastors who have studied inter-religious studies (not least Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, who heads the Catholic Church's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in Rome and, as a missionary in Egypt and Sudan, studied and taught in both those countries). Likewise there are many Muslim religious leaders who have studied and taught in Christian universities and institutes - I know one imam who went to a Christian seminary for several years so as to immerse himself in an understanding of the Christian faith. I have also studied Islam and, perhaps more importantly, spent several years living in an Islamic culture, and I can identify with Fr Airo's feeling that it "opened my scope of understanding much more about Islam and I grew to love the religion”.

>61 brone:

I find your constant reference to "you guys" to be both divisive and inaccurate. You portray whole groups of people as if they all believe in exactly the same mix of things. They don't. Thank God for diversity.

You don't appear to make any distinction between "pacifism" and "active nonviolence". The two are different, and there's a vast body of literature on both. The argument for nonviolence, apart from the fact that it appears to be what Jesus taught and practised, is that there are usually other approaches which can be used even in violent situations, if only there were the will and the resources to do so. Violence is an easy knee-jerk reaction to violence which saves us from doing the hard work of responding nonviolently (and the harder work of pre-empting violence).

There are many things which the Church defended as permissible, albeit not desirable, for centuries, including slavery. The "just war" theory developed by Augustine, Aquinas and others recognised that war is a sin but taught that it might be justified in certain strictly limited cases given the sociopolitical reality in which they lived. Likewise capital punishment. The trajectory of Catholic Church teaching over the last century or so has moved towards recognising that in the current context the arguments for both "just war" and capital punishment are now questionable, and indeed in the case of modern warfare it is doubtful whether the strict criteria of classic just war theory can ever be met any more. The Church's grudging historical acceptance of capital punishment and war is fast moving along the same path as slavery.

But yes, the consistent ethic of life also includes abortion and euthanasia, and many Catholics who oppose war and capital punishment also oppose these. The Catholic anti-war activist Fr Daniel Berrigan, for example, was also passionately anti-abortion.

On that note, I don't believe in "emphasising the moral and legal distinction between innocent human life and guilty human life". All human life is sacred, and we are all guilty. But if one does believe in preserving "innocent" human life, then it is difficult to see how anyone can support any war, as it is generally the "innocent" civilians, including children, who suffer most in war, as we see today, for example, in Gaza and Sudan.

>61 brone: Nowhere in the New Testament is slavery outlawed either but it is now illegal worldwide and I don’t think you could find a Christian of any denomination who would defend it. The death penalty for theft, once common, is now long gone in the developed world even where capital punishment is still on the books—-a declining number of coutries. I think there is a slow but positive evolution of the moral climate in many areas.

>64 booksaplenty1949:

Indeed. Wikipedia tells me that as of 2021 "56 countries retain capital punishment, 111 countries have completely abolished it de jure for all crimes, seven have abolished it for ordinary crimes (while maintaining it for special circumstances such as war crimes), and 24 are abolitionist in practice... Singapore, Japan and the United States are the only developed countries that are classified by Amnesty International as 'retentionist' (South Korea is classified as 'abolitionist in practice')..."

The Assad regime in Syria has fallen today, December 8th, 2024. It’s not entirely certain what the future will be, but everyone should celebrate this day with the Syrian people.

The Assad regime was backed by Russia and Iran, and committed atrocities and tortures against its own people that are unforgettable.

Christians everywhere should celebrate this day and pray for the future of Syria.

>66 geoffreymeadows: I agree.

>66 geoffreymeadows:, >67 booksaplenty1949:

Like you, and no doubt most of the people of Syria, I am not sorry to see the end of a dictatorial regime. However experience shows that a violent overthrow of a violent regime rarely leads to a just, peaceful, stable, democratic and human rights-respecting future for the ordinary citizens. Libya is a particularly egregious example. The overthrow of "secular" Islamic governments also creates opportunities for extreme Islamist groups, as we saw in both Iraq and Libya. I pray for the people of Syria and that whole region, that their case may break that tragic pattern.

Assad’s murderous regime has been toppled – but what will fill the vacuum in Syria? (Guardian)

For once, use of the word “historic” is justified in describing the toppling of Bashar al-Assad’s regime after more than 50 years of brutal dictatorship, 13 years of on-off civil war and a world of suffering. The people of Syria, or most of them at least, are jubilant. They should enjoy the moment. They deserve it. It recalls the celebrations that accompanied the fall of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. Yet such memories carry a warning and a threat. The warning is that joy can quickly turn to tears, and liberation to renewed repression, should the sudden collapse of hated but relatively stable authoritarian structures trigger an uncontainable descent into chaos. The threat is that the ensuing political and military vacuum will be contested by self-seeking actors interested not in justice and reconciliation, but power and retribution. In Syria, revenge is a dish served hot – and it’s back on the menu...

US will fear the vacuum that could replace Assad (BBC)

Washington is trying to work out what comes next. Who rules Syria? The president met his national security team at the White House on Sunday morning. The administration will not mourn Assad's end, Iran's emasculation or Russia's humiliation in Syria. Its fear is about a vacuum in which what it saw as an undesirable but relatively stabilised balance of forces could be filled by something it wants even less: a power grab by Islamist insurgents, including factions designated as terrorists by the US, unresponsive to the breadth of Syria's wider population, potentially triggering further chaos and new risks for the region...

It may be counterproductive to say it this way, but what good have Muslim peoples derived from so-called stable, secular governments? So many of them have been oppressive regimes. In Egypt, Libya, Syria, and to a lesser extent Saudi Arabia, and probably others, Muslims have been oppressed, deprived of economic freedom, and tortured or murdered by ruthless secular dictators. No wonder Muslims think they should go back to the caliphates!

Chances are that Syria, if the rebel forces have their way, will make yet another experiment with a so-called caliphate-like government. Can it be done? Can a caliphate-like government rule with restraint and in a tolerant and compassionate way? We’ll find out. Yet again.

What we hope for in the US is a democratic government. Iraq is an example of just such a country. It’s a fledgeling democracy in a troubled neighborhood. And it’s working there. Pro-democracy movements during the Arab Spring leave us with the impression that democracy is what the peoples of the Middle East really want. I hope so, but if they don’t, don’t blame the average Muslim for it. Secular governments haven’t been working for them for quite some time.

>69 geoffreymeadows:

Quite. I don't disagree with you. But nevertheless, violent overthrow rarely leads to anything else except more violence. What the solution is, I don't know. The Sudanese people overthrew a brutal Islamist military dictatorship through a nonviolent intifada in 2019, but they were unable completely to remove the military from the subsequent government, and a few short years later we saw the start of another senseless civil war between military factions. We continue to pray and to work for peace and justice through nonviolent means.

>71 John5918: Maybe we have to give these things time. French history in the 18th/19th C was a series of violent overthrows of government—even the 20thC wasn’t a 100%, but seems to be a democracy now. Italy ditto. Two steps forward, one step back. We are reminded by travails of our Moslem brothers that democracy with all its flaws is preferable to a so-called “religious” dictatorship.

>72 booksaplenty1949:

Thanks. Again, I don't really disagree with you, but I would make a few comments.

Like you (and Winston Churchill!) I'm a great believer in democracy, but the model which we call "democracy" is arguably not the only possible system which allows the citizenry to participate fully in governance. Both Libya and Uganda have had models based on the village electing representatives to the sub-county level, then that level electing some of these representatives to the county level, then to the provincial level, then up the chain to the national level. A number of African societies had forms of governance by consensus before they were destroyed by colonialism. For me the key term would be "participative governance" rather than "democracy". Catholic Social Doctrine does not actually use the word democracy, but rather focuses on participation and subsidiarity. Democracy is one way of fulfilling these conditions.

Secondly, I don't believe violence is ever the answer, even if used in a good cause like defending democracy or trying to bring peace. Violence is by its nature destructive and inevitably and inexorably leads to more violence. With very few exceptions (of whom Nelson Mandela is a towering but rare example), the leaders of violent liberation movements who may start out with the best of intentions gradually become corrupted by the very violence which they are using in the name of attaining or rescuing democracy, and by the time they get into power they and their government become as autocratic as the regime they were fighting to overthrow. South Sudan is a tragic example of that dynamic. For the best part of fifty years southern Sudanese fought a liberation struggle against oppression. It met most of the criteria of classic "just war" doctrine, particularly just cause, last resort and reasonable chance of success, and I confess that for the 22 years of explicit civil war which I lived through I believed it to be justified. Just two years after the creation of the new state of South Sudan which resulted from the "success" of the violent liberation struggle, the liberation movement became as autocratic as the regime it had fought against, and a new and more terrible civil war broke out within the new country. From my own experience as well as empirical research (see for example Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan's Why Civil Resistance Works) it would be difficult to persuade me now that violence is ever justified.

That doesn't mean we should sit back and condone or collude with undemocratic systems, but our response should be active nonviolent resistance. In Sudan the current nonviolent response to the horrendous violence being perpetrated by both military factions is the Emergency Response Rooms. These are small decentralised groups of local volunteers who, at great risk to their own lives, are providing not only humanitarian aid but also assisting the civilian population to negotiate the daily perils of life in a conflict zone*. There are also many initiatives going on outside Sudan to end or at least reduce the violence through diplomatic pressure on those nations which still have leverage with the armed factions, sanctions, arms embargoes, etc.

Thirdly, although this part of the conversation began with Syria, I would not want to confine ourselves only to Muslims. Violence, and assaults on democracy, are found throughout the world. I lived for many years in Sudan amongst hospitable and peaceable Muslim neighbours and colleagues, and one could hardly imagine a nicer milieu in which to live. The problem is not with the ordinary practictioners of any religion, but with power-seeking leaders, and with disaffected youth (and not-so-youth) who can easily be radicalised by them. Christian and Hindu nationalists, Zionists, Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, and even Buddhists, have all incorporated (and one might argue misused) religion into particular political ideologies.

Finally, coming back to our own Christian faith, we might remember that Christians practiced nonviolence for the first few centuries before Christianity became the state religion of the empire, after which it began to compromise with the state. Some churches such as the Mennonites and Quakers have courageously maintained that nonviolent stance. Catholic and other larger churches reluctantly accepted violence as a sinful but at times permissible activity, but only if very specific conditions were met - the "just war" doctrine, designed to limit wars. These same churches are now putting "just war" under intense scrutiny, noting that it is often used to justify rather than limit wars, and that under the conditions of modern warfare and weaponry it is almost impossible to meet the strict criteria of the classic just war doctrine. Fr John Dear has recently produced a new commentary on the synoptic gospels, highlighting how active nonviolent resistance to the empire was an important facet of the life and teaching of Jesus - The Gospel of Peace: A Commentary on Matthew, Mark, and Luke from the Perspective of Nonviolence.

* Just this morning I saw this report highlighting another of the many ways in which local volunteers are resisting the violence: "Community groups and mutual aid networks in war-hit parts of Sudan have set up learning centres and safe spaces for children amid almost two years of disrupted schooling and because of continued inadequate support from international humanitarian agencies."

>73 John5918:
I like what you’re saying, John5918, and I do respect your viewpoint and experience, but I’m not sure I’d rule out violence in every circumstance. That just tips off the other side that they can use violence and you’ll have no reply. What would happen to most countries today if they had no militaries? Wouldn’t they be pushed around in just a short time? It makes good sense to be nonviolent when working for social change, (or even, as you say, to found a government) but if someone makes war against you, you might think of defending yourselves. Like Ukraine. Ukraine might not even exist today had they not defended themselves.

I’m reading Machiavelli right now, and one of the things he recommends is that the city-states of his day should develop armies of their own citizens who will fight for their own country. He also criticizes mercenary armies or relying on alliances with other states who would do the fighting for you.

Obviously, with Syria, I’m not in favor of more war. The Syrians have had enough already, I’m sure. But our Western fears of Islamism should not be the motivating factor as to whether they get to work it out for themselves or not. This leader of the HTS, al-Jolani, seems to be making the right sounds. If we’re lucky, Syria can avoid another generation of violence and bloody struggle, and have a representative government to boot. If this al-Jolani does the right thing, he’ll be a “founder” and not just a general. I hope he likes that idea, because that’s really what Syria needs. There’s no law that says he can’t do that.

It’d be great if the West could help with that, but we should ask if they want help first, not just move in and start playing clandestine power games to try to make everything turn out “right”. How would we feel if someone did that in our home countries?

>74 geoffreymeadows:

Thanks for that thoughtful reply. I'm travelling at the moment and I'm typing on my phone, so please excuse this brief response.

Firstly, I would not deny a nation's right to defend itself. I think that would be the gut reaction of most of us, especially given that world opinion and culture tends to normalise violence. Neither would I recommend that they simply roll over and submit to a violent and illegal invasion and occupation. What saddens me is that very little attention is given to the nonviolent alternative to these two extreme options.

Billions of dollars are spent on weapons, research, preparation, planning, training, gaming different scenarios, etc for war. Millions of men and a not insignificant number of women are involved in some aspect of this endeavour. Military spending and production plays a role in many national economies, and many nations glorify past military campaigns and virtually fetishise their military veterans, not least the USA and UK. Whole populations have been acclimatised to the idea that while war might be unwelcome, a last resort maybe, it might ultimately be the only option.

Just imagine if only a fraction of those financial, military and human resources, of the planning, preparation, research and training, were devoted to preparing for active nonviolent resistance, and that populations were encouraged to recognise it as a viable and effective option.

It's never been tried on any scale. The knee jerk reaction of responding to violence with violence is apparently an easier and more popular option. Yet where it has been tried on a very small and localised scale without any resources and with minimal training and organisation, it has proved remarkably effective. Denmark offers some good examples from World War II, and Gandhi from the anti-colonial struggle in India. Nonviolent initiatives can be found in smaller wars all over the world as we speak - including, incidentally, in Ukraine and Russia, in Israel and Palestine, and in Sudan. There's a huge amount of research and empirical evidence regarding active nonviolence, but unfortunately few people read it and it's virtually unknown. LT has an active military history group, but no active nonviolence group.

Of course nonviolent action doesn't immediately resolve conflicts and stop wars, but neither does violence (and empirical evidence suggests that nonviolence is successful twice as often as violence). And of course there will be civilian casualties during active nonviolent resistance, but probably far less than in a violent conflict, with the added benefit that the infrastructure of the country will not be destroyed in a long war of attrition as is currently happening in Ukraine and Gaza. Worth a try, at least, since violence is clearly not resolving the conflicts?

>75 John5918:
I would agree with you that non-violence should be tried more often. The contemporary Middle East could really benefit from the non-violence you describe. I remember years ago when Israel was just beginning to negotiate with the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization). The Israelites asked the PLO to renounce violence before they would negotiate with them. But the PLO wouldn’t do that. Now, 50 years later, look at the Middle East. Violence has brought the Middle East to where it is now. And look at where Palestine is now. Things would be much better today if people had not just relied on violence to solve their problems.

But everything has its own time and place.

>76 geoffreymeadows:

Your reference to the Middle East 50 years ago reminds me of another element of nonviolence, namely preempting violent conflict. Many of the recent and current wars could have been avoided if more attention had been paid to the events leading up to war, and if there had been the political will (and courage) to do something about it.

In the introduction to his monumental history of World War II, Churchill recalls how at a certain point Roosevelt asked him what the war should be called. Winston's response was, "The Unnecessary War", arguing that many opportunities to prevent the war were missed for two decades.

>77 John5918:
With Israel still moving into and occupying more and more of the West Bank you could argue that Israel had been asking for the Hamas attack on October 7th. Not that anyone deserves such an attack, but, as you say, they could have anticipated it. It’s too bad the Jews have not incorporated more of Jesus’ teachings into their relations with their neighbors. If they had been applying the Golden Rule even minimally to the Palestinians, the October 7th attack might never have happened. We might even have a negotiated agreement by now.

I do not see any possible changes in the future, either, with Israel’s highhandedness towards its neighbors. It appears it’s going to get worse before it gets better. More war, more terrorism, more suffering.

>78 geoffreymeadows:

Yes. Explaining why something happened and seeking to understand how it could have been prevented is not the same as excusing or justifying it, and can help us to learn lessons which can be applied elsewhere.

>81 brone:

No. As I said in >80 John5918:, seeking to explain and understand a crime, and reflecting on how it could have been prevented (and how similar crimes might be prevented in the future) does not mean that one is justifying or excusing the crime.

>83 brone:

I've got no idea what that means, although I can't help thinking of Spike Milligan's famous comic song, "I'm walking backwards for Christmas". I can't post a link as I'm in Gulu, Uganda, with only my phone and no laptop, but it's easy to find on YouTube.

Actually my visit to Gulu fits into the topic of this thread, as we're celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the priestly ordination of Catholic Archbishop Emeritus John Baptist Odama, and the public launch of my biography of him. A major facet of his life and ministry has been ecumenical and inter-faith dialogue and collaboration. He is noted for his efforts to end the Lord's Resistance Army conflict which plagued northern Uganda for decades, and he did so through the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative, which brought together Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox Christians with Muslims and traditional African religious and cultural leaders. Incidentally, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, whom you often reference, is quoted in the official programme for today's celebration.

>81 brone:
Perhaps, “asking for it” was not the right phrasing, brone. The point of it is, Israel is out of touch. They’re not even aware, it seems, what they’re doing to their neighbors.

I’m all for Israel, brone, have been for a long time, but in recent years their attitudes have changed. They seem to think they have all the rights to as much land as they can grab.

This short-circuits the peace process and leaves the Palestinians without a future.

>87 brone:
I definitely sympathize, brone. These are uncertain times in Syria. Old Christian minorities have been pushed out of Iraq for the most part, too. And that’s supposed to be a success.

There’s nothing wrong with giving God your feelings, your basic feelings, as well as your petitions.

>88 geoffreymeadows:

Really? I move in peacebuilding circles and I've never heard Iraq described as a "success". Quite the opposite; western military adventurism has contributed to an ongoing disaster. But perhaps you're referring to the dominant (and arguably delusional) political discourse in western nations such as the USA and UK?

>88 geoffreymeadows: Thanks+JMJ+

Christian Human Rights Foundation Condemns Attack on Sudanese Mosque that Killed Seven (ACI Africa)

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a UK-based human rights foundation, has condemned continued targeting of places of worship as war rages on in Sudan following the reported December 6 attack on a Mosque in the country’s capital, Khartoum, that is the epicentre of fighting... CSW’s Founder President, Mervyn Thomas, condemns what he describes as the trend to “intentionally and systematically” attack civilians in Sudan. According to Mervyn, attacks on places of worship where civilians are seeking refuge further seek refuge constitute “severe breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law”... “Attacks on places of worship where civilians are gathered and seek refuge ... must be documented thoroughly by international bodies, including the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan.” CSW reports that the December 6 attack is not the first time that places of worship have been targeted in the Sudan civil war that broke out on 15 April 2023. In November 2023, the largest church in Omdurman was bombed by the SAF, while the RSF, according to CSW, “has repeatedly attacked churches.”  In March 2024, an SAF-affiliated Islamist militia detonated explosives inside a mosque, also in Omdurman...

Perhaps also worth mentioning that recently a Sudanese Catholic bishop was first robbed by SAF and then badly beaten and seriously injured by RSF (link).

Happy holidays (holy days)!
-------------------------------

Wishing You All
A Joyful Hanukkah,
The Light of Winter Solstice,
A Delightful Christmas,
A Thoughtful Kwanza,
A Peaceful New Year.

Enjoy the Holidays.
Blessings

(Via Tony Gifford, per Mike Catlin)

>89 John5918:
… because at least Iraq still seems to have legitimate elections. For whatever reasons that may be.

As for American discourse, what you say does hurt though, because all our political discourse in the U.S. right now is delusional. We can’t even agree on the facts.

But of course, you’re not talking about that, you’re talking about the Bushes. And yes, I will never forgive George W. for getting us into Iraq. He misled the American people. And his father wasn’t much better.

>94 brone:
I’ve been close to a pacifist most of my young life, though as an adult I’ve come to accept war as a reality that sometimes can’t be avoided. I’m sorry for your losses. By joining the military, your children proved their patriotism and bravery in a way most people, myself included, never will.

I’ve been learning lately about Reformation Era Europe, and, as an introduction to Reformation political thought I’m reading the Florentine Renaissance writer, Machiavelli. (He lived about the same years as Martin Luther - only 10 years difference). I’ve just finished The Prince (3rd Norton Critical Edition) and Discourses on Livy (Oxford World’s Classics), his most popular works. (Those are the editions I read). I find them strangely refreshing. He’s very candid about violence in the Italy of his time. Although I don’t think his advice in some instances translates very well to the modern world, he still seems reasonable to me. On the one hand, he says religion is necessary as a foundation for every successful republic, while on the other hand, he says that every city-state should have a well-trained army of its own citizens. I wonder if you might appreciate Machiavelli?

He gets some pretty negative reviews by modern (and most Catholic) writers though.

I’m wondering if maybe this tangent (on war) isn’t on topic as far as “Inter-religious dialogue” is concerned. Maybe we should give John5918 his thread back! :) I’m very happy, though, to discuss these things with you. I hope we meet again.

>95 geoffreymeadows:

Thanks. LT threads often seem to wander off topic, and I have no problem with that as the conversations are still interesting, but for your information there is a thread on "Just War" within the Christianity group, here, and one on nonviolence in the Catholic Tradition group, here.

Nice. Thank you, John5918.

>95 geoffreymeadows:

On the theme of pacifism, I would not consider myself a pacifist, as I don't know whether I would have the courage to refrain from violence in extreme circumstances. But my journey is perhaps the opposite of yours, in that in my younger years I was, while not a militarist, at least open to the use of violence in a "just war". As I've said elsewhere, I tacitly supported South Sudan's armed liberation struggle for 22 years, believing it to fulfil most of the criteria of traditional just war doctrine. Many of our Sudanese Christian leaders also supported it. However since violence erupted again in the new state of South Sudan in 2013, the Church leaders have taken to quoting Pope Francis' 2017 World Day of Peace message, Nonviolence: a Style of Politics for Peace, some have become involved in the global Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, the council of churches has adopted nonviolence as a key component of its Action Plan for Peace, training on nonviolence has been going on, and the Catholic University has opened an institute for peace and justice. But now, in the autumn of my life, I have come to believe that violence is always destructive, and that using violence in the name of justice and/or peace is a dangerous contradiction.

And let me reiterate that this doesn't mean passively accepting injustice, oppression and violence, but rather resisting it by active nonviolent means. One of the influential writers on active nonviolence, Gene Sharp, identifies 198 methods of nonviolent action, although this number has subsequently been increased through praxis and research, and I'm sure we'd discover more if we put as much time, effort, passion and resources into it as we do into violence. Many of them are risky and will result in people being arrested, "disappeared", beaten, injured, tortured, raped and killed, just as happens during war and other forms of violent resistance, so being part of active nonviolence is as much a sign of patriotism and bravery as joining the military.

Finally, nonviolence is a Gospel value, but one which seems to have got lost during the millennia of Christian accommodation with the world. I again recommend Fr John Dear's The Gospel of Peace: A Commentary on Matthew, Mark, and Luke from the Perspective of Nonviolence.

I have written a review of ol' Nick and his Prince that some of you may find useful. I agree that at bottom Niccolo was a pragmatist and not an ideologue. In many ways, he was an efficiency expert regarding the state. (The 'people', that is, the Polity one either wants to create or maintain.) He was for being gentle when it was useful to be so, and he was for being fierce when it was not. He was but another Renaissance Pagan, who, in my opinion, would jettison even that if it were useful...

The review is of a bilingual translation (By Mark Musa of "The Prince".) There are so many reviews of this book here on LT that I had trouble finding it. S for the interested I copy/paste it below:

------------

Machiavelli: Translation and Interpretation

This is a review of Mark Musa's translation of 'The Prince' in the excellent 1964 bilingual edition. Since this is an old edition I will start my review with the table of contents.

Table of Contents:

Introduction, v;
Note to the Text, xvii;
Selected Bibliography, xviii;
Contents, xxi;

Niccolò Machiavelli to the Magnificent Lorenzo de' Medici, 1;
I. On Principalities, 5;
II. Hereditary Principalities, 7;
III. On Mixed Principalities, 9;
IV. Why the Kingdom of Darius, Which Was Occupied by Alexander, Did Not, After the Death of Alexander, Rebel Against His Successors, 29;
V. How Cities or Principalities that Lived by Their Own Laws Before They Were Occupied Should Be Governed, 37;
VI. On New Principalities Acquired by Means of One's Own Arms and Ingenuity, 41;
VII. On New Principalities Acquired with the Arms and Fortunes of Others, 49;
VIII. On Those Who Have Become Princes Through Iniquity, 67;
IX. On the Civil Principality, 77;
X. How the Strength of All Principalities Should Be Determined, 87;
XI. On Ecclesiastical Principalities, 93;
XII. The Different Kinds of Troops and Mercenary Soldiers, 99;
XIII. On Auxiliary, Mixed, and Native Troops, 111;
XIV. What a Prince Should Do with Regard to the Militia, 121;
XV. On Those Things for Which Men, and Especially Princes, Are Praised or Blamed, 127;
XVI. On Generosity and Parsimony, 131;
XVII. On Cruelty and Compassion and Whether It Is Better to Be Loved Than Feared or the Opposite, 137;
XVIII. How a Prince Should Keep His Word, 145;
XIX. On Avoiding Being Disdained and Hated, 151;
XX. Whether Fortresses and Many Other Things Which Princes Use Frequently Are Useful or Harmful, 175;
XXI. How a Prince Should Act to Acquire Esteem, 185;
XXII. On the Private Counselors a Prince Has, 195;
XXIII. How Flatterers Are to Be Avoided, 199;
XXIV. Why the Princes of Italy Have Lost Their States, 205;
XXV. How Much Fortune Can Do in Human Affairs and How to Contend with It, 209;
XXVI. Exhortation to Take Hold of Italy and Liberate Her from the Barbarians, 217;

Those who have a different copy of 'The Prince' will wonder why there are over 200 pages in this edition. First, this is a Bilingual Edition so all the pages consisting of the text of 'The Prince' are in the original Italian and then, on the facing page, English. Those who have seen 'The Prince' in Latin are reminded that it was only translated, well after Machiavelli's death, into Latin in 1560, which of course aided its spread throughout (Western) Europe. Also be aware that our translator, Mark Musa, puts any notes he has at the end of each chapter and not at the end of the book.

Now, why do I think it is useful to hunt down this specific book? Well, first, one is amazed by how economical a writer Machiavelli was! I believe that in each of the 26 chapters our translator burns (sometimes far) more words than our Niccolò. It was this literary tempo that so impressed Nietzsche:
"But how could the German language, even in the prose of a Lessing, imitate the tempo of Machiavelli, who in his Principe The Prince lets us breathe the dry, refined air of Florence and cannot help presenting the most serious matters in a boisterous allegrissimo, perhaps not without a malicious artistic sense of the contrast he risks - long, difficult, hard, dangerous thoughts and the tempo of the gallop and the very best, most capricious humor? (Beyond Good & Evil, section 28)"
The struggle of Musa to keep up with the tempo, the humor, and the terrifying economy of words in his translation comes through thanks to the contrast of the original text and its translation.

Also, in his Introduction Musa draws our attention, as he should, to the fact that he uses a dozen different English words(!) in order to translate the single word 'virtù'. Now, this word is often intentionally paired, and deliberately contrasted with 'fortuna' by Machiavelli. One is in danger of losing sight of the pairing and also the contrast if 'virtù is translated twelve different ways. Thus I found Musa's listing in his Introduction, by chapter, all the appearances of 'virtù, along with his translation at that specific point, quite useful. This of course is lost in most other translations that one comes across.

The words he uses for ''virtù' are: capacity, strategy, virtue, courage, power, efficacy, qualities, strength, talent, resources, capability, and the ubiquitous ingenuity. Wouldn't it be better just to leave ''virtù' untranslated? (I wish he had!) But this edition of Musa's translation is rendered a 'must' for all those interested in seriously studying 'The Prince' because it has the original on the facing page. You can check the translation of crucial terms or passages yourself. If you can find this book, take advantage of it. (Although I was disappointed by the lack of an index... I never understand that in thoughtful books.)

Why else is this translation so useful? Well, for instance, even though Musa uses many different English words to render virtù, in the crucial chapter six he mercifully renders it as 'ingenuity' 11 out of 12 times. Without this consistency, and of course the original on the facing page, a reader innocent of the subtleties of Ol' Nick would be unaware of what he was missing. This 'problem', for translations that do not benefit from the presence of the original, could be solved (I believe) by always rendering 'virtù' as virtù in translations. This would be better than the alternative of 12 different English words!

...I am telling you that it should be illegal to publish a translation of any seminal philosophical or political or religious text without the original on the facing page!

There are many reviews of "The Prince" here on Amazon, and elsewhere. If you are new to Machiavelli go read them. (And above all read both "The Prince" and "The Discourses" before coming to any conclusions regarding our Nick.) I will make only a few points here. First, all Princes need to be innovative. A new Prince needs to create 'New Modes and Orders' while a hereditary Prince must innovate in changing circumstances in order to maintain himself. The one creates a polity (our Nick would say a 'people'); the other re-creates it. Thus all Princes would benefit from this book. Next, this innovation requires foresight.
"And so whoever does not recognize evils when they arise in a principality is not truly wise; and this ability is given to only a few (p. 117, ch. 13)."
It is not even granted to every Prince. There are things that even Machiavelli can't teach. Virtù is one, successful innovation (for our author, this is a part of virtù) is another.
The proper measurement of virtue and vice is a third. A well-timed vice can save a Kingdom; an ill-timed virtue can destroy it (Chapter 15, passim).
Also, throughout this book, note how Nick praises the One Prince (or, I believe, Philosopher) and sometimes the Many (i.e., the People) but hardly ever the Few (aristocracies or factions). Indeed, he seems to underline the alliance of the One and Many when he says to the Prince:
"Everyone sees what you appear to be, few touch what you are, and those few do not dare oppose the opinions of the many who have the majesty of the state defending them; and with regard to the actions of all men, and especially with princes where there is no court of appeal, we must look to the final result." (p. 149) It seems here that we are to infer that the One and the All (= the People) are to be allied.
But regarding this we should mention that of these three types Machiavelli also says:
"And since there are three types of intelligence: one understands on its own, another perceives what others understand, the third does not understand either on its own or through others; the first type is more than excellent, the second excellent, the third useless... (p. 195)."
Now I would add (and I am certain Machiavelli knows) that it is circumstances that decide 'uselessness'. This last quote is concerned with the picking of ministers. So of course here the people are 'useless'. If, however, the Prince is facing a coup, the common people are not useless at all...
To underline this alliance between Prince and People, recall that he had earlier said (on Chapter 9) "It is impossible for the nobles to be satisfied in an honest way without doing harm to others, but the common people certainly can be, for the goal of the common people is more honest than that of the nobles, the latter wishing to oppress and the former wishing not to be oppressed."
The people can be trusted and satisfied, aristocrats cannot. I would argue that the genuinely Machiavellian Prince is to be a Tyrant only to those whose unsatisfiable ambitions would overturn the state. Most people think otherwise on a first reading of Machiavelli's Prince. This is a mistake.
If, btw, one is interested in the philosophical understanding of these three human types (Nietzsche would say: philosopher, exceptions, 'herd') I recommend the following:
Averroes, The Decisive Treatise (the 'people of demonstration', the 'people of dialectic', the 'people of rhetoric')
Kant, The Conflict of the Faculties (to learn of philosophy, its relations to theology/law the 'exceptions', and medicinethe body = the common people)
Nietzsche, the first three chapters of Beyond Good & Evil, passim
And lastly, I will conclude my brief points by noting that the 'Discourses' are a mystery to many people only acquainted with 'The Prince'. Their initial 'surface' reading of 'The Prince' usually convinces them that ol' Nick was on the side of a strong Individual (Prince, King) ruling through his virtù. But this was only at the surface! If you go through the 'Prince' a second time, searching for any mention of the aristocrats (Barons, Dukes, Factions, etc.) you will be amazed how Machiavelli never seems to have much respect for them. They always get in the way! There are only two 'subjects', two possible authorities, in Nick's political writings: the Prince and the People. In the 'Discourses' you will discover what our author meant by a People. After reading both the Prince and the Discourses, several times, one should then turn to Leo Strauss and Gramsci, both of whom are very sharp on Machiavelli.

I would like to conclude with some 'off the beaten path' secondary studies that I recommend. (Yes, of course, there are several excellent studies better known that I am ignoring.)
1. The Machiavellian Enterprise: A Commentary on the Prince, Leo Paul S. De Alvarez
One of the very best commentaries out there. A very detailed chapter by chapter commentary of the Prince. Alvarez is very insightful on the evasive qualities of our Nick. I once attempted a line by line commentary of 'The Prince' and only made it to chapter 6. A commentary is one of those things that is far easier to conceive than it is to do...
2. The Sweetness of Power: Machiavelli's Discourses & Guicciardini's Considerations, Niccolo Machiavelli & Francesco Guicciardini
This book has both Machiavelli's "Discorsi sopra la prima deca di Tito Livio" (Discourses) and Guicciardini's "Considerazioni intorno ai "Discorsi" del Machiavelli sopra la prima deca di Tito Livio" observations on same. Sweet indeed! I found it very interesting to read an extremely intelligent, maximally contemporary discussion of our Nick.
3. Against Throne and Altar: Machiavelli and Political Theory Under the English Republic, Paul A. Rahe
Superb. This is something of an anti-Pocock (see Pocock's "The Machiavellian Moment: Florentine Political Thought and the Atlantic Republican Tradition") monograph regarding the English Civil War and our Nick. I was especially interested in reading Part I of this book. This is where Rahe discussed the history of the ideas that led to Machiavelli. Not only Machiavelli (led to our 'republicanism') but also his precursors: the Epicurean and the medieval (for want of a better term) 'radical Aristotelian' traditions. This was a very interesting discussion of the 'presuppositions' of Machiavelli. In a very small (and thus somewhat inadequate and misleading) nutshell one can say that our Nick combined the Cosmology of the Epicureans with the 'Platonic Politics' of the Falâsifa and thereby created something new. Also, regarding little studied lines of descent, see chapter 4 in Part II of this book; again, this is very good on 'underground' philosophy.
I want to underline the importance of this in a very brief manner. Some presuppositions of 'Latin Averroism' hook up with some presuppositions of the Epicurean tradition in Machiavelli and the secular world begins. (Or can be said to begin.) Our Nick uses the Averroism to politicize the the apathetic Epicureans while using the physics of the Epicureans to demolish the Aristotelianism of the Averroists. It really was very nicely done! We already knew that Machiavelli opposed the orthodoxies of his time. We now learn that our Niccolò intends to wipe away everything that came before him, both orthodoxy and heresy! I thought Rahe especially good on this.
4. Machiavelli in the Making, Claude Lefort
Okay, this is a translation of "Le travail de l'oeuvre Machiavel" (Originally published in 1972). It is his thesis. Incredibly, his thesis director was the conservative Raymond Aron! This is remarkable because only a few years earlier he had been a member (a founding member to boot) of the now nearly legendary 'Socialisme ou Barbarie'. They were a splinter Trotskyite grouplet (or at least they started as one) that denied the USSR was in any meaningful sense socialist and they also denied that the USSR deserved to be defended by socialists. Heretics! They formed, if I remember correctly, around 1950. The group was formed by Lefort and Castoriadis. The website 'libertarian communism' has some of their writings, if anyone is interested.
Now, we must not imagine that by getting his thesis through Aron Lefort had somehow become 'conservative'. Rather, we should be impressed by how willing he was to learn from enemies. Another teacher of Lefort was Merleau-Ponty, who was without question one of the twentieth century's greatest philosophers.
I was very annoyed to learn that Lefort's analysis of the interpretations of Machiavelli by Gramsci and Strauss were dropped from this translation for reasons of space. Although I suspect that Lefort may no longer have been happy with them. (Lefort died before this translation was published.) I was also disappointed by the lack of an index. Notes could have been longer too.
A word of warning. Lefort was certainly writing in the shadow of poststructuralism! There is a real focus on the protean character of the Machiavellian text, with nods in the direction of psychoanalysis too... You can also catch glimpses of the notion of 'the Imaginary' that both he and Castoriadis flogged in postmodern, post-revolutionary France. I mention this because I know how tiresome some of you find all this...

Five Stars; not only for one of the most important books in European thought, but for this bilingual edition too!

-----------------------

End of review.

>100 pomonomo2003: WOW!

Christians in Gaza, Syria "need everything": Vatican Cardinal (ACI Africa)

The head of the Vatican’s office for Eastern Catholic Churches offered a stark assessment of the situation facing Christians in the Holy Land and Syria, warning of increasing instability and humanitarian challenges across the region. “They need everything and we cannot give anything,” Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, told EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser in a recent interview. “Look at the Gaza Strip. Who is entering when the bombs are falling? People are starving.” The Italian cardinal, who maintains daily contact with bishops in the region, expressed particular concern about Syria’s future amid shifting political dynamics following the ousting of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. “Assad has of course created numerous problems. However, he was open to working with minorities,” Gugerotti said. “We will see in the coming months what is going to happen.” The cardinal noted that new power groups emerging in Syria include former members of Al-Qaeda and ISIS. However, he highlighted how local Church leaders are working to establish a dialogue with these groups, particularly through Bishop Hanna Jallouf in Aleppo. “He understands these new groups in power quite well. He has become a kind of bridge between the Church and these groups, and some of them accepted to go and speak to him about their intentions toward the Catholics,” the cardinal told EWTN News...

Let’s Destroy “walls of separation”, Burkinabe Catholic Archbishop at Christmas, Urges “building bridges of communion” (ACI Africa)

The people of God in Burkina Faso need to embrace a lifestyle that fosters peaceful coexistence, abandoning behaviors, which contribute to prolonging violent conflicts in the West African nation that grapples with the challenge of “insecurity and other crimes”, Archbishop Prosper Kontiebo of the country’s Catholic Archdiocese of Ouagadougou has said. In his Christmas 2024 messages, Archbishop Kontiebo calls on all Burkinabe citizens to get involved in rebuilding their country as “artisans of peace”. “I call on the unity of the sons and daughters of this country to fight insecurity and other crimes,” he says in his December 23 message in which he describes insecurity as Burkina Faso’s “major challenge”. “Let us work to ban division and cultivate a spirit of solidarity,” he further says, and emphasizes, “Let us be artisans of peace, destroying the walls of separation and building bridges of communion. Let us bear in mind that the construction of our country requires a high sense of honor, integrity, and dignity”...

In 2025, Let’s Work Towards “peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims”: Catholic Archbishop in Niger (ACI Africa)

Christians in Niger have been urged to foster peace in their relationship with their Muslim counterparts, working towards unity of the people of God in the landlocked West African nation. Archbishop Djalwana Laurent Lompo of Niger’s Niamey Catholic Archdiocese has made the appeal in his New Year Message in which he reflects on Pope Francis' 2025 Message for the 58th World Day of Peace. “In the name of our faith in God, Christians, and Muslims, we must work tirelessly to build a society where justice comes first in all our behaviors,” Archbishop Lompo says...

Catholic Bishop in Cameroon Corroborates Message of Nigerian Visionary Bishop (ACI Africa)

Boko Haram is no longer the lethal group that terrorized locals in the West African nation of Nigeria and parts of neighbouring countries through kidnappings and beheadings especially of Christians, a Catholic Bishop in Cameroon has said. The sentiments of Bishop Bruno Ateba of Cameroon’s Catholic Diocese of Maroua-Mokolo echo those of his counterpart in Nigeria, Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri... Bishop Ateba says that though his Episcopal See, which is situated on the border with Nigeria continues to suffer attacks from Boko Haram, the attacks are not as lethal and as frequent as they used to be. “The situation has been calmer for a while,” the Local Ordinary of Maroua-Mokolo since his Episcopal Consecration in May 2014 says, and adds, “In military terms, Boko Haram has shrunk. Before they all had heavy weapons. Today that is no longer the case, but they are still bandits who come to steal food, livestock, money and even clothes”...

Two Catholic Sisters Abducted in Nigeria Released, “in good health” after Weeklong Captivity

The two members of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Mother of Christ (IHM), who were abducted on January 7 from Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha have regained their freedom, the leadership of the Sisters’ Congregation in the West African nation has said. In a statement that ACI Africa obtained on Tuesday, January 14, IHM Secretary General in Nigeria says that the two Sisters were “released unconditionally” and that they are “in good health”... A 2025 report by the Pontifical charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, gives hope for the people of God in Nigeria as fewer Clergy and Religious were kidnapped in 2024 compared to the previous year, 2023; and that in 2024, none of the abducted Clergy and Religious was killed.

Let’s Speak “language of collaboration rather than blame”: Catholic Archbishop in Nigeria on Ending Hunger, Saving Lives

The Local Ordinary of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese in Nigeria has appealed to the government of the West African country to work with the Church in ensuring that no one dies of hunger in the country...

Both from ACI Africa

>109 brone:

Or we can follow the example and teaching of Jesus, who, when Peter did the equivalent of "passing the ammunition" by taking out his sword to defend Jesus from patently unjust arrest, torture and death, told Peter to put away his sword, effectively saying "Praise the Lord, and put away your ammunition", followed not too long afterwards by "Father, forgive them for they know what they are doing".

Hope for Church in Nigeria as Fewer Priests, Consecrated Kidnapped in 2024, All “eventually released”: Report (ACI Africa)

A 2025 report that the Pontifical charity foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, published on Monday, January 13 shows that 11 Priests and Religious were kidnapped in Nigeria in 2024, down from a total of 25 who were kidnapped in the previous year in the West African country. In the report, ACN notes that with the decrease in the number of the abductions, the situation of the Clergy and women and men in Africa’s most populous nation “improved noticeably”... The Catholic foundation adds, in reference to the 2024 abductions in Nigeria and Haiti, “Fortunately, all the victims of kidnapping in both these countries were eventually released”... Globally, according to data that ACN collected, more Catholic Priests and women and men Religious were kidnapped in 2024 than in 2023. ACN reports that at the same time, the numbers arrested for reasons of persecution diminished...

The continuing Rainbow Riech declarations of new finding in the bible are reported by a member of the Reich in the C of E called LGBTQ Faith England these "guys" claim "not everyone in the bible is cisgender nor is everyone in the bible biologically or anatomically male" Eunuchs are ancestors of trans people". It goes on and on even hinting King david was a "queer". Now I recognise these views are not the official view of the C of E policy, yet I wonder if there are more supporters of this view who are in the "closet" here in LT, in the C of E and the RC Church+AMDG+

Three inter-religious initiatives which have come to my attention recently via the International Center for Religion & Diplomacy:

Empowering communities: A 15-year journey of interfaith approach to development in Tanzania (IPP media)

ISCEJIC is a faith-based committee in Tanzania that is made up of the Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT), the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), and the Muslim Council of Tanzania (BAKWATA). The interfaith approach to development is important because it unites diverse religious communities to address pressing social and economic issues in a collaborative and culturally resonant way. Religious organizations often have deep roots within communities, allowing interfaith initiatives to reach a wide audience, including marginalized groups. Interfaith groups bring a strong ethical perspective, emphasizing values like justice, peace, compassion, and accountability. By prioritizing ethics, they champion a form of development that considers not only economic growth but also social fairness and human dignity...

In Newark, Catholic bishops host interfaith leaders to oppose mass deportation (National Catholic Reporter)

On Monday (Jan. 13), {El Paso Catholic Bishop Mark} Seitz traveled to Newark, New Jersey, to join Cardinal Joseph Tobin, his archdiocese and Faith in Action, a multifaith community organizing group, at St. Lucy’s Catholic Church for a day of prayer and dialogue with immigrant families. After the event, Seitz went to visit the Statue of Liberty, which has "great meaning" for him, especially now, he told RNS en route. Bishop Dwayne Royster, a United Church of Christ minister and the executive director of Faith in Action, said that beyond the Catholic bishops, there were faith leaders from the United Church of Christ, as well as Jewish and Muslim leaders. In addition to Tobin and Seitz representing Catholic prelates, auxiliary bishops from Newark, and New Jersey bishops from Camden, Metuchen and Paterson were all present. The Faith in Action leader said the presence of many different faith leaders together was meant to send a strong message against mass deportations, that "we’re going to do everything within our power to prevent this from happening." Royster said the leaders also meant to convey to the decision-makers in government who are pushing mass deportation policies: "If you’re a person of faith, you are operating contrary to the will of God"...

My Gen Z daughter and her Altadena and Pasadena classmates are showing us the way (RNS)

It should not be surprising that the children of this community would lead in taking care of their own across faiths, ethnicities and languages...

Seminary Rector on Why Priests in Nigeria have become Soft Targets for Kidnappers (ACI Africa)

Catholic Priests in Nigeria have become “soft targets” for kidnappers, the Rector of the National Missionary Seminary of St. Paul has said, addressing misconceptions that ministers in the Catholic Church lead affluent lifestyles, making them attractive targets for ransom-seeking criminals... kidnappers believe that if a Catholic Priest is abducted, the Church is left with no option but to part with large sums of money as ransom. “There may be a lot of factors why kidnappers target the Church in Nigeria, and it may not necessarily be because of Islamic fundamentalism alone. Some people are targeting the Church today because they believe the Church is very rich,” Aina said. He added, “Kidnappers may think priests are living flamboyant lives, judging by the cars they see priests driving. This makes them think that if Priests are kidnapped, the Church will pay ransom.” “Kidnapping has become a business, and kidnappers look for soft targets that they believe have money. Catholic Priests and institutions are perceived as part of such organizations, making them attractive targets,” the Nigerian Catholic Priest said. While acknowledging that religious hatred could also play a role in the kidnapping of Priests in the West African country, Fr. Aina emphasized that economic factors cannot be overlooked...

Outgoing Muslim Council leader criticises lack of government contact (BBC)

When Zara Mohammed became the first female leader of one of the largest representative bodies for British Muslims in 2021, she already had a lot on her plate: rising Islamophobia, the Covid-19 pandemic, and a government refusing to engage with the group... As Ms Mohammed ends her time as general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain – on Saturday, Dr Wajid Akhter was elected as her replacement – she spoke to the BBC about the difficulties she has faced. In particular, she described the "unbelievable tidal wave of Islamophobia" in the UK, which she said was made more difficult to tackle due to the ongoing policy of government non-engagement...

>117 brone:

As I posted recently in a parallel thread, British police figures show "that just a fraction of child sexual abuse allegations – 0.6% – relate to grooming and abuse by male groups or gangs" (link).

And on the subject of this small percentage of abuse by gangs, here's a recent case which involves an ethnic minority, namely Scottish people: Scottish child abuse gang members jailed for between eight and 20 years.

The Dicastery of Interreligious Dialogue Wishes Muslim Brethren a Happy Ramadan, Eid El-Fitr (AMECEA)

As the Muslim world prepares for the Holy Month of Ramadan and the Eid El-Fitr that concludes it, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue wishes thse Muslim brethren a Happy time of fasting, Prayer and sharing. In a document issued from the Vatican on Feb, 4th 2025 under the theme, “Christians and Muslims: What we hope to become together”, George Jacob Cardinal Koovakad and Msgr. Indunil Kodithuwakku (Prefect and Secretary of the dicastery of Interreligious Dialogue respectively), express that this year’s Holy month of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr is unique as it coincides with the Christian season of Lent...

>119 John5918: It can hardly be “unique.” Lent can start between February 4 and March 10 and ends 45 days later. Ramadan must fall within those dates every other decade or so.

>120 booksaplenty1949:

Fair comment. But it's probably more uncommon than common for the two to coincide. Lent begins on 5th March this year.

>121 John5918: Yes it does.
Fortunately Christian fasting has never involved abstinence from water. In the Northern Hemisphere, Ramadan is certainly less onerous when it occurs before the Spring Equinox. Fifteen hours of fasting/abstaining from liquid in July must be punishing indeed.

>122 booksaplenty1949:

To say nothing of when it occurs during the hot season in a country like Sudan, where the day time temperatures are close to 50.

Young Christians, Muslims, Jews at the Vatican: "It’s possible to live together in peace" (ACI Africa)

the heat of a torrent of social media posts orchestrated to manipulate public opinion, with images and videos that promoted two opposing and partial narratives. In this context of polarization, the “Middle Meets” project emerged with the aim of creating a space for listening and understanding between Muslim, Jewish, and Christian students. “We felt that universities around the world were becoming very divided and very extremist. And we wanted to create a platform for Palestinian, Hebrew, and American students to have an in-depth conversation, without superficial slogans and without going to extremes; just listening to each other in an open dialogue,” university student Tomy Stockman explained... The first meeting was held remotely in November 2024, but last week they met in person in Rome in an interreligious meeting promoted by the Vatican, thanks to the Pontifical Foundation Scholas Occurrentes. “More than just meeting, they have lived together and forged bonds of friendship. It hasn’t been easy because they have spoken of painful situations, of war, of confrontation, but it has been a process of sharing pain and suffering,” Bar-Asher Siegal explained...

“We Must Walk Together in Dialogue Not Mere Conversation,” Says Fr. Makunde to Coordinators of Interreligious Dialogue (AMECEA)

At a consultative workshop of Coordinators of Interreligious Dialogue from Association of Members Episcopal Conference in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) region, Fr. Anthony Makunde the Secretary General of AMECEA stressed in his opening speech that “interreligious dialogue and ecumenism is not an option, but it is an obligation, it is about conversion of the heart, change of heart and mind, of relationship, of renewed commitment”. Fr. Makunde noted that despite a considerable progress the full vision of “Nostra Aetate” remains unfulfilled. He acknowledged that there is persistent presence of division, suspicion, and religious extremism and emphasized that extremism is often not merely a matter of religious conviction but deeply rooted in social injustices, marginalization, oppression, and economic disparities, and that religion in many cases is manipulated as a tool for political struggles...

Muhsin Hendricks, world’s ‘first openly gay imam’, shot dead in South Africa (Guardian)

Muhsin Hendricks, considered the world’s “first openly gay imam”, has been shot dead near the southern city of Gqeberha, South African police have said. The imam, who ran a mosque intended as a safe haven for gay and other marginalised Muslims, was in a car with another person on Saturday when a vehicle stopped in front of them and blocked their exit, police said. “Two unknown suspects with covered faces got out of the vehicle and started firing multiple shots at the vehicle,” the Eastern Cape force said in a statement... He ran the Al-Ghurbaah mosque at Wynberg near his birthplace, Cape Town. The mosque provides “a safe space in which queer Muslims and marginalised women can practise Islam”, its website states. Hendricks... had previously alluded to threats against him. He told the Guardian he had been advised to hire bodyguards but said he never feared attacks and insisted that “the need to be authentic” was “greater than the fear to die”...

May he rest in peace.

Edited to add: Even in his final seconds of life, first gay imam pushed boundaries (BBC)

The execution-style killing of an openly gay imam, Muhsin Hendricks, in South Africa has left people in the LGBTQ+ community fearful for their safety - but also determined to forge ahead with the campaign to end their marginalisation in religious circles. Reverend Toni Kruger-Ayebazibwe, an openly gay Christian cleric, told the BBC that Hendricks was a "gentle spirit" who brought light into any room he occupied. "The gap Muhsin leaves is massive," she told the BBC, adding that she knew for a fact that there there were "a large number of queer Muslims around the world who are grief stricken"... Initial reports that Cape Town-based Hendricks had been in Gqeberha to perform the wedding ceremony of a gay couple have been dismissed as untrue by his Al-Gurbaah Foundation. "He was visiting Gqeberha to officiate the marriages of two interfaith heterosexual couples when he was tragically shot and killed," it said in a statement. It is unclear why the couples had asked Hendricks to oversee their ceremonies, but it suggests that he was pushing the boundaries, even in the last seconds of his life. Traditional imams in South Africa rarely, if ever, perform the marriage of a Muslim to a non-Muslim - something that Hendricks clearly had no issue with. He had, according to a faith leader that the BBC spoke to, conducted one such marriage ceremony and was on his way to conduct the next one when he was gunned down in his vehicle...

Sayeeda Warsi and Mishal Husain back new lobby group for British Muslims (Guardian)

Prominent British Muslims in politics, media, business and sport have come together to influence government policy on behalf of 4 million British Muslims... BMN aims to bring together practitioners and experts to identify challenges British Muslims face to policymakers, in areas including health, education, immigration, equalities and the economy, aligning research with government’s goals, while growing its membership nationwide. It also aims to counter negative attitudes by highlighting contributions made by British Muslims to society, and encourage Muslims to take up positions on boards and vote. The establishment of BMN marks a shift towards promoting the interests of the UK’s Muslims as a diverse British social identity, rather than purely as a faith group, and comes after a surge in Islamophobic incidents... “There’s a lot of misconceptions and negative attitudes attached to British Muslims … some from particular politicians and their rhetoric. “Of course, there are challenges within the Muslim community, like with any community, like in British society, but some of those challenges have been weaponised, I think, to really paint a very negative picture of British Muslims. “So the British Muslim Network, we’re hoping to overcome some of those negative attitudes, to really put into the public sphere and the public conversation the reality of the lived lives of British Muslims around the UK and that they are overwhelmingly, just like any other person in the UK, just trying to live their lives. “They care about education, they care about employment, they care about health, they care not just about their local communities, but the wider challenges facing the country. We really want to put forward a positive and confident narrative around British Muslims and their role in British society”...

Catholic Bishops in Africa Meeting Other Faith, Civil Society Groups to Chart Way Forward after Historical Injustices (ACI Africa)

Top on the agenda for members of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) who are engaging with other faith-based groups and ethical communities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is how to heal from the historical injustices the continent has suffered from... SECAM says that the two-day workshop held at the Kuriftu Resort African Village and the African Union Commission (AUC) in Addis Ababa aligns with the AU 2025 theme, “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations.” The organizers say that the workshop will focus on historical injustices emanating from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, slavery, and colonization. The workshop also seeks to promote healing and reparations for affected communities. “For centuries, Africans and people of African descent have endured the consequences of historical injustices, including economic disenfranchisement, social marginalization, and psychological trauma,” they say... The workshop is being organized in collaboration with several key partners, including Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL); the Pan African Conference on Ethics and Bioethics (COPAB); the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD-Africa); and the United Religions Initiative (URI)...

A sign of hope: Ramadan and Lent (The Tablet)

This year the month of Ramadan overlaps with the Christian season of Lent. The significance of this coincidence between these two great periods of fasting has not been lost on His Beatitude Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad, who has just announced in an official message to the Muslim and Christian faithful in Iraq that “it is a sign of hope”. “On this special occasion”, he said, “I extend my warmest congratulations and best wishes to all Muslims in the Holy Month of Ramadan and to all Christians at the beginning of the Great Lent, with hope that God Almighty will include them all in His merciful and loving care, and grant peace and security to our beloved country and to our neighbours in the wider region”. The patriarch said that both Ramadan and Lent are “times of fasting, prayer, repentance and forgiveness, purification from vices, almsgiving and charity, and a time of quenching one’s thirst at the fountain of divine values, in the spirit of love and tolerance”. His Beatitude did not refrain from lamenting that today, not only have so many people turned away from God, the God of love and mercy, but that “people have turned away from each other, from tolerance and forgiveness, and from charity and doing good”. He recalled that, during this season of fasting, “all believers need the light of God to illumine their hearts and minds so that they can transform God’s will into an honest and righteous lifestyle”...

>130 brone:

Reminds me of when I was in Egypt forty-odd years ago waiting for a visa for Sudan. The Roman Easter occurred while I was in Cairo, but the Catholic Church in Egypt followed the Eastern calendar so we didn't celebrate it. I then got my visa and went to Sudan before the Eastern Easter, which is not celebrated by the Roman Church in Sudan. So I missed Easter completely that year.

Vatican Ramadan message: Christians and Muslims called to ‘walk side-by-side' (Vatican News)

In its message for Ramadan, the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue highlights that the Islamic holy month this year coincides with Lent – and calls for “inner transformation”, so that Christians and Muslims might work together for peace...

>133 brone:

Yes, Syria is a complex and tragic situation, and there are ethno-religious as well as ideological elements to it. You mention Syrian Christians, but you overlook the recent massacre of Alawites, an Islamic group. Any killing of civilians is to be condemned, and groups such as Christian Solidarity International have warned of "genocide" against Alawite Muslims (link). Might be worth reading this statement from the respected International Crisis Group.

As for Nigeria, Catholic bishops have indeed expressed concern over the closure of schools in four of the country's 36 states, as have many other groups including the National Association of Nigerian (NAN) students, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and human rights activists, who also point out that Islamic nations globally, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—where Islam is central and Ramadan is deeply revered—do not shut down schools during Ramadan (link), as indeed is the case in 89% of Nigerian states. So as with many such cases, it is not about Islam, it is about ideological over-reaction by certain individuals and small groups. So if the Nigerian bishops are, as you say, in dialogue with the authorities to try and resolve this issue, that is the way forward. What would you suggest as an alternative?

Just as an aside, it reminds me of an incident in Khartoum forty-odd years ago. One year the management of the main post office in Khartoum decided to close the staff canteen for the duration of Ramadan. One of our strong southern Sudanese Catholic women who worked at the post office led a robust protest against the closure, and the management backed down and allowed the canteen to remain open for the non-Muslim staff members. The power of dialogue and nonviolent resistance - particularly when led by women! Once again I ask what would you suggest as an alternative?

Edited to add: Talking of Nigerian bishops, here is a recent article from ACI Africa: “A new Nigeria is possible”: Catholic Archbishop in Nigeria Calls for Fervent Prayers to End Oppression.

All is not lost for Nigeria, where economic hardships, insecurity, corruption, and social divisions have been on the rise, the Archbishop of the country’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja has said. In his homily at the opening Mass of this year’s first Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama noted that fervent prayers by Christians in the West African country can turn the country’s situation around. He expressed hope in the possibility of creating “a new Nigeria” that is free of political, social, and economic oppression. Archbishop Kaigama invited the people of God in Nigeria to enter the Lenten Season, which he described as a “wilderness”, with fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, for the renewal of the West African nation. “As we Christians journey towards Easter, let us use this time to pray fervently for our country, to fast from corruption and hatred, and to give generously to those in need,” he said... “As the Church in Nigeria, we must recommit ourselves to being the light that dispels darkness. We must lead by example in honesty, service, and love. We must call for justice, advocate for the poor, and reject all forms of oppression.” “A new Nigeria is possible if we, as God’s people, take responsibility for building it with integrity and faith,” the Nigerian Catholic Archbishop said in his homily at the opening Mass of the CBCN Plenary organized under the theme, “Jubilee of Hope: A Light for a New Nigeria”...

I would highlight firstly that he lists a number of inter-connected problems, not simply religious oppression, but also his statement, “A new Nigeria is possible if we, as God’s people, take responsibility for building it with integrity and faith”. Let us focus on what we as Christians can do rather than complaining about what others are doing.

Edited again to add: Syrian patriarchs beg government to stop massacres (Tablet)

Church primates in Syria condemned “massacres targeting innocent civilians” and prayed for peace after violent unrest in coastal towns last week. In a statement released on 8 March, three Patriarchs of Antioch appealed for an end to the attacks, urging political leaders to end the violence and “preserve national unity”. They called for “the swift creation of conditions conducive to achieving national reconciliation among the Syrian people”... They emphasised national reconciliation... “The targeted areas have primarily been those inhabited by Alawites and Christians, and many innocent Christian civilians have also lost their lives,” he emphasised. Alawites, a Shia Muslim sect to which the Assad family belonged, make up 10 per cent of the Syrian population... Pope Francis expressed his concerns about the violence in Syria, urging “full respect for all ethnic and religious components of society, especially civilians”...

Let’s Foster Interfaith Dialogue, Inculturation: South Sudan’s Cardinal to Clergy, Cautions against “abstract” Preaching (ACI Africa)

The Local Ordinary of the Catholic Archdiocese of Juba in South Sudan, Stephen Cardinal Ameyu Mulla, has called upon the Clergy in his Metropolitan See foster interfaith dialogue and inculturation in their Priestly ministry... “Our Church must be open. We, as Priests of that Church, of that local Church, must be open to the people, ready to dialogue with them, and willing to accept their ways of adoring God. That is why it is important to have inculturation,” Cardinal Ameyu said during the March 14 Eucharistic Celebration. He emphasized the need for Priests to be “down to earth” in their preaching of the world of God and in their interactions with the people of God under their pastoral care. “We remain abstract when we preach theology that remains up, but theology must be down to earth. We must bring that theology down to earth, why? Because people need to understand”... “It is unfortunate when religion becomes a tool to oppress people; then that is no more religion, that’s no more Church,” he said, and recalled, “The Pharisees had made religion not to be accessible to other common people; they made it their own; they were experts ... Religion had become the way they ruled people.” “Jesus is telling us as Priests of this Archdiocese, unless your spirituality is greater than that of the Pharisees, you and I will not enter heaven”...

Catholics, Buddhists Gather in Cambodia for Interreligious Meeting Focused on Peace (National Catholic Register)

Approximately 150 people from Cambodia and abroad are participating in the three-day meeting organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and other entities... “Together, as Buddhists and Christians, let us explore how reconciliation and resilience can help shape peaceful and compassionate societies,” Cardinal Koovakad said on Tuesday... Among the Catholic conference participants are bishops and priests from 16 Asian nations, including Mongolia, Vietnam, Myanmar, South Korea, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka. Throughout the three-day conference, Christians and Buddhists have the opportunity to reflect on the stories of peace, reconciliation, and resilience found in the Bible’s Old and New Testaments and in Buddhist writings, including the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka and the Mahayana Sutras...

>1 John5918: Bravo and thumbs up for this, John.

>137 GeneRuyle:

Having spent a good number of years working for Christian churches in a Muslim country, inter-religious dialogue is very important to me.

Once again, my deepening respect for how you continue to deepen and extend those efforts that make one's life more genuinely whole.

In the Catholic and Anglican churches today is the feast of Saint Charles Lwanga and companions. These were dozens of young Ugandan Christians who refused to compromise their faith and were murdered (many of them burnt to death) by the king in the 1880s. What many people are unaware of is that Muslim boys were also martyred during the same period.

This reminds me of a small example of an informal interfaith exchange in the western Sudanese town of El Obeid forty years ago. It's a Muslim Arab town in the desert, but there's a small Christian presence. A colleague and I were poking around in the sacristy in the Catholic cathedral one day when we found a life-size statue of Charles Lwanga hidden away in a dusty corner. We decided to take it to the seminary where it could inspire our young men training for the priesthood. As we drove through the market place with the statue in the back of our pick up, we had a puncture. A curious crowd soon gathered around us. A stalled Land Rover with two white men in the front and a statue of a young boy in the back was probably the most exciting thing that had happened all week. As they asked about the statue, we explained that he was a young Christian boy who had been murdered for refusing to compromise his faith, and that Muslim boys had died for the same reason. Muslims hold martyrs in high regard, and were impressed at the idea of Christian and Muslim martyrs being in the same boat. One of the important elements of interfaith dialogue is building on the things we have in common rather than focusing on the differences.

A year later I found myself the first headmaster of a new secondary (high) school named after Charles Lwanga in another part of Sudan, so Lwanga has been part of my journey in more ways than one.

Thank you for this. I was just reading about Charles Lwanga last week, but the article I read did not mention the Muslim boys. What impressed me in the article is that he and his companions went to the execution praying and singing hymns, not showing fear of the king.

>141 MarthaJeanne:

Yes, indeed. It was spread over a period of ten years or so and two kingships, and I'm not sure whether they were ever thrown into the same fire on the same occasion, but it was part of the same dynamic.

Nostra Aetate@60: Nigeria’s Religious Leaders Reflect on Building “bridges among people of different faiths” (ACI Africa)

As the Catholic Church commemorates 60 years since the promulgation of Nostra Aetate, the October 1965 Vatican II Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian religions, religious leaders in Nigeria are proposing an examination of the progress and gaps in the process of bringing together people, who profess different faiths... the religious leaders emphasized the importance of building a society anchored in mutual respect and cooperation across faith traditions... “This is a great day. It is not just about celebrating a document from 1965 but about asking ourselves how far we have come and what more we can do to build bridges among people of different faiths in Nigeria,” Fr. Lawrence Emehel said. He emphasized the need for interreligious dialogue to go beyond high-level meetings and theological summits. “Dialogue is not just for Bishops, Cardinals, or Sultans. It must happen among ordinary people – those who share the same markets, face similar challenges like insecurity, lack of healthcare, and unemployment. That’s where the real impact lies”... which Fr. Emehel described as “dialogue of life”...

>143 John5918: Precisely! But when you look closely into that, you notice it mainly has to do with things not usually mentioned, touched upon, or "grasped directly" until now. And this presently unfolding focus is an 'intercultural one' -- something each human being has in common with every other existing person alive today. It's almost too big for us to know how to really examine and to concretely and creatively manifest. Allow me to illustrate this: "What is the single word that most directly embraces what you are here calling "life"?

>144 GeneRuyle:

I interpret that as being a call for praxis theology, a theology that is primarily driven by real life experience, such as liberation theology.

Well, it certainly embraces that much, but it also goes way beyond, shall we say, one's boundaries of awareness. Specifically, it opens the door to intentionally investigating that acquired bundle of formative actions, behaviors, and orientating notions one has -- at least for the time being -- come to inhabit and dwell within as their working frame of reference for living the very way they personally handle each and every moment. We don't even have a name for this . . . yet it is always PRESENT, changing and growing into something greater than it was before, and less than it will be tomorrow. At least that is how I view this.

“I did it from the bottom of my heart”: Catholic Bishop in Nigeria on Building Mosque for Displaced Muslims (ACI Africa)

Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Yola has defended his decision to build a mosque for Muslims displaced by Boko Haram insurgency, and underscored his commitment to fostering interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence... “At the height of the crisis in Adamawa State, thousands of people fleeing insurgent violence sought refuge in the Catholic Cathedral in Yola,” Bishop Mamza recalled... “We closed our Catechetical Training Center, our Pastoral Center, our primary and secondary schools, and every available space was converted into a shelter. Both Christians and Muslims slept side by side in the Cathedral. There was no discrimination. At that time, everyone was just a victim seeking refuge”... Realizing that many could not return to their destroyed or unsafe communities, Bishop Mamza led a long-term initiative that resulted in the construction of the Salama Housing Estate... "We built 86 homes, now housing about 850 individuals. These included both Christians and Muslims. No one was excluded”... Although the estate included a church, a school, and a clinic, Bishop Mamza realized the community still lacked a mosque... "It was only fair, given that they were part of the same community, some even from the same families. I decided to build a mosque using funds from the Diocese of Yola”... Bishop Mamza stood by his decision. “I did it from the bottom of my heart, with pure intentions. The people who benefited from the gesture, the displaced, the victims of insurgency, were happy. And that’s what matters,” he said...

Reminds me of Muslims who contributed towards building a church in South Sudan to replace one which had been destroyed during the long civil war.

My response to that is the common German phrase, "Vergelts Gott!" May God repay it.

All too often these days, Christians are seen as people who disapprove of others, who try to forbid them from building the lives they chose. How much better this is as a witness to God's love for everybody.

First-ever International Religious Freedom Summit in Africa to Explore “impact” of State Actions, Faith Communities (ACI Africa)

The Tuesday, June 17 International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit at Kenya’s Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, the first-ever regional conference to be realized in Africa, is to explore “the impact of government actions on religious freedom” on the continent. According to the organizers of the one-day IRF Summit, “panels of regional experts” will also guide participants in IRF Summit in examining “the critical role played by faith communities in restoring peace” to the African continent, described as “a region plagued by sectarian violence”...

“A defining moment for Africa”: Official on First-ever International Religious Freedom Summit in Africa (ACI Africa)

“This Summit marks a defining moment for Africa,” the Co-Chair of the IRF Africa Summit, who is former Nigeria’s First Lady, Bola Obasanjo, has been quoted as saying. Mrs. Obasanjo adds, “I am proud to lead this continental effort to champion the sacred right of religious freedom, a right that protects our diversity, strengthens our unity, and uplifts the soul of our nations.” The IRF Africa Summit official says that “Africa has long drawn strength from its deep faith and resilient spirit. Now is the time to ensure that every individual, regardless of belief, can live and worship in peace and dignity. This gathering is not only historic, (but also) necessary”...

>142 John5918: Specifically, King Mwanga II was accustomed to having sex with the boys who served him and when he discovered that they were being counselled against this by the Christian missionaries who had converted them he took action designed to discourage anyone from following their example. I had not previously heard of Muslim martyrs, although his father had resisted Muslim influence in the kingdom, not on religious grounds, however.

>151 booksaplenty1949:

Yes, it was definitely part of a political power struggle between a king who saw his influence potentially waning and the incoming missionaries and the English and French colonial powers who were seen as supporting them.

Africa’s Traditional “deep spirituality, rich culture” Foster Religious Freedom: Catholic Bishop at IRF Summit (ACI Africa)

Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Yola has appealed to African leaders to tap into Africa’s traditional values that he said foster religious freedom and peaceful coexistence on the continent. Speaking at a panel discussion during the first-ever International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Africa realized in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, Bishop Mamza highlighted Africa’s “deep spirituality” and the unity in diversity of the cultures as particularly inspirational... He identified some of the African traditional values that foster religious liberty, saying, “Africa is a very vast continent with deep spirituality, rich culture, and communal spirit. When you talk about religious freedom in Africa … if you look at it from a traditional point of view, that has been there right from the beginning.” Bishop Mamza noted that in African traditional religion, there was no imposition of belief systems. “It is part and parcel of the worship of an African traditionalist that he does not impose his religion or culture on somebody else,” he said. Citing Nigeria, with its more than 400 distinct languages and traditional belief systems, the Catholic Bishop argued that the framework for religious freedom in modern Africa should be inspired by African traditional values. “There are so many values in African traditional religions that we can even say are not obtainable in some of these religions that we worship—compassion, hospitality, the community spirit—very deep-rooted in Africa”...

>152 John5918: Existence of any Muslim martyrs is debatable. Mwanga’s successor was put in place by Muslim leaders who feared a more general religious repression. When he refused to convert to Islam he was imprisoned and killed.

>154 booksaplenty1949:

"Too little attention has been paid to the fact that 10 years before the Christians were martyred by Kabaka Mwanga, under Kabaka Mutesa 1, there has been a greater holocaust of Muslims" (link)

>155 John5918: Yes, I see a case can be made. References to “religious tourism” and Idi Amin’s unfulfilled plans for a memorial mosque somehow dampen my enthusiasm. The distinction between the religious and the political in this period of local history seem blurred but I suppose the same is true of the late Roman Empire.

>156 booksaplenty1949: The distinction between the religious and the political in this period of local history seem blurred

Indeed. And I think that has been true throughout the period of western colonialism, where Christianity has often been associated, willingly or unwillingly, with the colonial aspirations of various nations. In the late 19th century Catholics and Anglicans, French and British missionaries, vied for influence in the court of the kabaka. When I was living in Uganda fifty years ago you could still find older Christians who could remember when "I pray French" or "I pray English" described one's denomination, Catholic or Anglican respectively.

>157 John5918: My initial interest in this subject stemmed from reading Speke’s Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile and following up with writing by and about James Hannington. I see this is a more complex topic.

>158 booksaplenty1949:

Coincidentally I re-read Speke's journal just a few months ago. It is fascinating and is a tremendous primary source about European exploration, trade and attitudes in 19th century Africa. It describes a part of Africa I know well. However in line with most western writing of that era it is written through a lens which gives a very one-sided, incomplete and at times wildly inaccurate impression of African societies and thus reinforces the then European narrative that Africa was terra nullius inhabited by ignorant savages ripe for western "civilisation" to come and save them. I can highly recommend Zeinab Badawi's An African History of Africa as a first step toward engaging with Africa's rich history through a different lens.

>159 John5918: Well of course Speke himself comes across as somewhat unhinged. Have you read the novel Burton and Speke, or seen Mountains of the Moon, the film based on it? Great stuff. Also very much enjoyed The Albert N’Yanza. But I realise these are one-sided Eurocentric accounts. I have placed a hold on the Badawi book at my local library.

>159 John5918: I found Badawi's book riveting. (And made sure it went to African women living in Vienna once I had finished it.) How the world made the West is another fascinating history that shows a different lens on history, including the trans Saharan trade routes. Josephine Quinn's point is to undermine the narrative that there are separate 'civilizations' that developed independent of each other.

>160 booksaplenty1949:, >161 MarthaJeanne:

Thanks for those recommendations. Burton and Speke looks interesting but I can't find it on Kindle and getting parcels delivered to Kenya is not cheap or reliable so it'll have to wait for my next trip to UK to get a paperback copy. I've just bought How the world made the West on Kindle and look forward to reading it.

Ugandan Catholic Archbishop Faults Use of “tolerance” in Fostering Religious Freedom, Advocates for “respect” (ACI Africa)

The Local Ordinary of the Catholic Archdiocese of Gulu in Uganda has faulted the use of the term “tolerance” in championing religious freedom... Archbishop Raphael p’Mony Wokorach advocated for the use of “respect”. “You see, continually we are saying tolerance, tolerance. To me, that is a negative word; we should learn to respect it. Respect should be the word. It's not about tolerance,” Archbishop Wokorach observed on Tuesday, June 17. He explained, “When we tolerate, it means we have not grown in the love of the thing, but only just giving it time. So, the language, I believe, needs to be refined.” “I feel more at ease living with somebody who respects me than one who tolerates me. This language, tolerance, should be left out. Educate people to respect. Out of respect, friendship, or love can develop,” Archbishop Wokorach emphasized...

>163 John5918: I like that. And not just for religious differences.

>153 John5918: “There are so many values in African traditional religions that we can even say are not obtainable in some of these religions that we worship—compassion, hospitality, the community spirit—very deep-rooted in Africa”

Misogyny, too, is very deep-rooted in Africa?

>162 John5918: In The Sad Story of Burton, Speke, and the Nile an English professor looks at their competing accounts in a thought-provoking way. I was surprised to discover that the question of which of them in fact “discovered” the source of the Nile was still the subject of lively debate.

>165 margd: I read a very interesting article recently in The Economist on the subject of “gendercide”—the preference for male over female babies, worldwide. Ever since it has become relatively easy to predict the sex of an unborn child, the number of boys who come to term worldwide has far exceeded the number of girls, despite the fact that without intervention the numbers would be almost equal. In the year 2000 the number of “missing” girls worldwide was 1.6 million. But this difference has been quite sharply reduced in recent years—-predicted to be 200,000 in 2025. I see this as an indication of declining global misogyny.

>167 booksaplenty1949: Let's hope! Sounds like culture, government policy, and economics plays a big part in any trend away from mysogyny. There's a study from Thailand that examined how Thais came to value small families e.g., a boy and a girl. The government introduced basic education (education is costly, but also beneficial, to parents who educate their kids) and healthcare (children more likely to survive). In traditional Thai culture, the youngest daughter cares for aging parents, and inherits the house.

>168 margd: Males have been dominant in every society that has ever existed to date, but presumably the importance of physical strength will *eventually* wane.

>169 booksaplenty1949: If "society" means since agriculture was introduced? Before then, there was little surplus, so no advantage to capture another's work product? Pre-agriculture, all did what they could to ensure survival of the group, with less specialization, class structure, enslavement as became possible with agriculture?

>167 booksaplenty1949: and that's 1.6 million men a year currently unable to get the wife they feel entitled to. I had not noticed that the incels were not misogynic.

>170 margd: No, male dominance existed in hunter/gatherer societies, despite fact that research shows that the “gatherers” (women) supplied as many calories to the group as the male hunters. There were group “child care” arrangements which enabled women to get out to gather most of the time, and of course even young children could help with spotting ripe berries and birds’ nests. But this did not effect a power balance in these societies.

>171 MarthaJeanne: Nothing is more disruptive to any society than a surplus of men unable to find a partner.

>159 John5918: Currently reading An African History of Africa following your recommendation. Finding Badawi’s informal, personal style both a plus and a minus. My background, especially in the pre-European Colonial Period, is very limited so I appreciate the straightforward narrative. At times it seems a bit too straightforward, but I will reserve judgement until I am finished the book.

>175 brone: Luke 22:35-36

Jesus did indeed tell his disciples to "buy a sword" as part of their routine travelling kit, but on the only recorded occasion when one of them actually used their sword in legitimate self-defence, Jesus said, "'Put your sword back, for all who take up the sword will die by the sword" (Matthew 26:52 inter alia).

I continue to believe that the solution to violence is not more violence, but to address the root causes of conflict, which in this case include the clashes between the lifestyles and needs of settled people and transhumant pastoralists, who also often happen to be of differing ethnic and religious groups, the lack of good governance, the inadequacy and often collusion by government security forces which you yourself mention (and which in many cases serve not to protect people but simply to exacerbate the violence and suffering), international and regional interests, and more. While the creation of armed "self defence" militias may be tempting for those suffering attacks, experience shows that it rarely brings peace and security and usually just increases the level of violence.

the life of a Catholic is not worth a Fulani cow

Of course I agree with that, but not the way you phrase it. In fact there are many traditional pastoralist communities in Africa for whom the life of a cow may at times be considered more valuable than the life of a human being, regardless of religion, including Maasai, Nuer, Dinka, Toposa, Karamajong, Turkana, Murle and many other pastoralist peoples who are anything but Muslim. These cultures are slowly changing.

Today is the feast of Saint Charbel Makhlouf (شربل مخلوف), a Lebanese Maronite Christian monk born in 1828 and known for his holiness, who spent the last 23 years of his life as a hermit. Western Christians often overlook the Arab churches, and many seem to think that inter-religious dialogue is a very recent phenomenon, but Makhlouf was renowned for his ability to unite Christians, Muslims and Druze back in the 19th century. Of course dialogue between Christians and Muslims began several hundred years earlier. In 1219, during the Fifth Crusade, horrified by the treatment of Muslims and Jews by the Crusaders, Saint Francis of Assisi was graciously received by Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil of Egypt in Damietta, himself a devout man who decided to spare Francis' life; he sensed in him a true holy man who was prepared to sacrifice himself to bring peace (link). From a Muslim perspective, al-Kamil’s aim was to “establish a mission of peaceful coexistence with Christians.” In like manner, Francis, rather than condemning, detesting, or putting himself above the Muslims, spoke with respect for their beliefs. Though Francis invited the sultan to become a Christian and was willing to put his life on the line to prove the veracity of his belief, love ruled his action. As such, the risk and disgrace did not matter. The two men shared the centrality of God and humanity’s worship of God, the primacy of prayer in life and the conscious choice to remain “in the world” and live simple lives for the sake of God. As far as we know, the dialogue ended with mutual respect and a reciprocity of dignity (link). We should also not forget missionaries such as Saint Charles de Foucauld who lived amongst the Arabs in north Africa more than a century ago.

>177 John5918: Are you familiar with this film? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Gods_and_Men_(film) Based on a true story of Cistercian monks ministering to the local Moslem population in Algeria.

>178 booksaplenty1949:

Thanks, no, I hadn't come across that. The idea of Christians ministering to Muslims reminds me of something I witnessed during the 1984 famine in Sudan. Various international aid agencies came to assist, and the English and Welsh Catholic agency, CAFOD, was allocated the En Nahud area of Kordofan, almost 100% Muslim. Initially the local sheikhs were suspicious that a Christian aid agency might favour non-Muslims or even try to proselytise the Muslims. By the time CAFOD left a few months later the sheikhs admitted their initial doubts and openly expressed their thanks and admiration that, to their surprise, CAFOD had freely helped everybody in need regardless of their creed. Which of course is how it should be.

>179 John5918: I highly recommend the film. Deeply moving.

Even if your ultimate purpose is evangelisation, it is important to listen respectfully to the religious and cultural opinions of others. If you are not willing to take their opinions seriously, how can you expect them to listen to you?

I remember as a child being told about the early Jesuit missions in India, and how they learned the local culture. Francis Xavier, Roberto de Nobili were big heroes and role models to one of my mission 'uncles' who worked in the same area centuries later. He used to tell us stories about them to pass on their respect for Indian culture.

Finished Badawi’s book, which was an undemanding introduction to a subject about which I knew little. Followed it up with Henry Louis Gates’ PBS series on Africa, Wonders of the African World where he covered much of the same territory, enabling me to get a better visual idea of the impressive structures Badawi describes.

Thanks everyone. I would say that one key sociological difference is that from an early age (21) I left my comfortable and familiar home country (which was indeed one where Christianity was dominated by protestants, as >181 brone: says) and entered a completely different cultural and religious milieu, one where religion is not sidelined but is part of everybody's daily life. It brought me into contact with non-Christians, particularly Islam and traditional African religious beliefs, while I had also had some prior interaction with Sikhs and Hindus in London. I was able to see the good in all of these, where surely God's grace was at work. As a missionary my role was evangelisation but, as >182 MarthaJeanne: says, I discovered that it is important to listen respectfully to the religious and cultural opinions of others if one wants to get anywhere with that. Spreading the Gospel cannot be reduced merely to converting people to Christianity. Francis of Assisi, Charbel Makhlouf and Charles de Foucauld are good examples, and we have many other missionary forebears from whom we can learn. As >182 MarthaJeanne: says, there are also good lessons from India, more recently including the British Benedictine Bede Griffiths and indeed some of my own missionary colleagues.

A good read about the challenges of evangelisation in Africa from a foreign missionary's perspective fifty years ago when I first arrived here is Christianity Rediscovered by Vincent J. Donovan, which could perhaps be read in tandem with an African priest's more recent reflections from the other side of this vast continent in Theology Brewed in an African Pot by Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator.

But going back to >181 brone:, we are talking from two completely different experiences of Church in two (or more) completely different social, cultural and religious milieux. It is one universal Church, but unity and uniformity are not the same thing, and thank God it is a diverse Church, and it is changing due to demographics. In 1977, when the term "Third World" was in vogue for what we now call the Global South, theologian Walbert Bühlmann wrote the seminal work The Coming of the Third Church, predicting that the centre of gravity of the Christian Church would shift from Europe and north America to the Global South. That is happening as we speak. Of course it can feel uncomfortable for those who grew up in the familiar culture of the Church in the Global North, but the growth and vibrancy of Christianity is a positive thing. And for those of us who are Catholics, we can rejoice in having had first a pope from that Global South and now a pope who is a missionary from Peru. Thanks be to God.

Just by chance this morning I came across a review of The End of the Schism: Catholics, Protestants, and the Remaking of Christian Life in Europe, 1880s-1970s by Udi Greenberg (link). I haven't seen the book and probably won't, as it looks like heavy going, but I mention it here in case anyone is interested, while also noting that this is a thread about inter-faith dialogue, not ecumenism.

>184 John5918: "The End of the Schism"...

Years ago I plowed through "The Reformation: A History" by Diarmaid MacCulloch, only for him to conclude that the Reformation continues in the US with constant splintering into smaller and smaller groups.

Holy See, Azerbaijan sign agreement on interreligious dialogue (Vatican News)

The Holy See and Azerbaijan sign a memorandum to promote cooperation between the Church and the State with regard to interfaith relations...

>187 brone:

Not sure exactly to what you are referring, but if I have inadvertently given the impression that there are two churches, my apologies. There is indeed One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. But what has shifted is the centre of gravity of that one Catholic Church (and pretty much all of the other Christian churches as well). Christianity is no longer dominated by the Global North, nor by the thoughts, actions and cultures of Europeans and north Americans.

You and I have certainly had different experiences of the one Church, you in the Global North, me in the Global South, but I think you're being both unfair and inaccurate in describing my continent as one "where infidelity is normal". Christianity in Africa is vibrant, faithful and growing.

And once again let me say that I don't deny that the type of Catholicism that you describe does indeed represent a portion of Catholics in the USA, but you ignore another large portion of US Catholics who neither match nor agree with your narrative. I have worked with many US Catholics, including some of your bishops. I would not describe any of the ones I know as "bungling and corrupt", but like you I also believe that through them "the Catholic Church in America... will continue in its proper duties, in confidence and peace".

But we have strayed far from the topic of this thread, namely inter-religoius dialogue.

Edited to add an article about this continent where you apparently believe "infidelity is normal": Africa’s Catholic Bishops discuss 2025-2050 pastoral vision (Vatican News)

Over 250 Catholic bishops representing various episcopal conferences across Africa are attending the SECAM Plenary Assembly. Day One began with Holy Mass celebrated by Cardinal Peter Turkson at Kigali’s Regina Pacis Parish. Known for its warm hospitality, the Regina Pacis Catholic Parish caters to a diverse community and offers Masses in Kinyarwanda, English, and French. Later, during a plenary session held at the renowned Kigali Convention Centre, the Bishops were reminded of SECAM’s purpose. The session aimed to reaffirm why the continental association of Bishops exists and to familiarize ‘younger bishops’ with SECAM’s raison d'être. The presentation was led by Ghana’s Archbishop of Cape Coast, Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle. Archbishop Palmer-Buckle took the assembly through a reflection on SECAM’s history, sharing statistics, quotes from previous plenaries, and relevant Church documents. In the end, the Bishops were agreed that, as the world changes rapidly, they are better served working together to face the common pastoral challenges facing the Church in Africa... The Church in Africa, as a voice of conscience, has a vital role to play in inspiring ethical leadership, promoting dignity, and reinforcing the moral compass of our nations,” {Rwanda's Prime Minister, Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva,} said. Opening the plenary, SECAM President Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, the Archbishop of Kinshasa, made a passionate call for an end to the ongoing armed conflicts on the continent. The Kinshasa prelate added: “The theme of this Plenary Assembly: ‘Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation, and Peace’ deeply touches the soul of our continent. In a world fractured by wars, poverty, forced displacements, and ecological crises, we turn our gaze to Christ, who is the living source of healing and renewal. It is He who walks with Africa in its wounds, who reconciles divided hearts, and who offers hope where despair threatens. As disciples, we are called to become artisans of peace, prophets of hope, and instruments of reconciliation. This is not only a theological conviction but a pastoral urgency. The Church in Africa must be a sign and sacrament of unity, justice, and lasting peace"... Also in attendance at the SECAM Plenary was curial Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development... Representatives from other continents—Asia, Latin America, North America, and Europe—also spoke at the gathering and offered solidarity messages...

Those last couple of sentences also emphasise that we are indeed one Church across all the continents.

Human Fraternity Fellowship continues legacy of Pope Francis in new generations (Vatican News)

The second edition of the Human Fraternity Fellowship program, inspired by the Document of Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar in 2019, leads 10 student leaders to Jakarta, Indonesia, to prepare “the next generation of leaders to engage across cultural and religious divides”...

>190 brone:

Thanks for this. Once again I would find it very helpful if you could cite a source for these quotes as I would love to read them in full and in context. You say, "Muhammad goes on to state..." Is that really a quote from the Prophet Muhammad or is that a typo? It seems to me that it is actually a quote from Ratzinger (cf link, section 2.2)

I think you're right about the difference in interpretation of the two holy scriptures, the Bible and the Qur'an. Most Christians, as you say, believe that the Bible "bears the impression of a history that God has been guiding" and interpret it through hermeneutics and exegesis, while for most Muslims the Holy Qur'an was dictated directly by God. However there are alternative trends in both faiths. Many Christians today appear to take the Bible literally as if it is not only "a textbook about God and divine matters" but also a science textbook, while there have been a small number of Islamic theologians and imams who question the absolutist literalist reading of the Holy Qur'an, notably the martyred Mahmud Muhammad Taha. In his seminal work The Second Message of Islam* he argues that the Meccan verses should be read differently, and given greater priority, than the later Medina verses.

* الرسالة الثانية في الإسلام

New Vatican interfaith team to meet Russian patriarch, leading imam in Kazakhstan (CNA)

Religious leaders from China, Russia, the Middle East, and the Vatican are converging in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 17–18 for the VIII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. The gathering brings together some of the world’s most diverse spiritual voices at a moment of heightened global tensions. This year’s congress will focus on the theme “Dialogue of Religions: Synergy for the Future”... For the Vatican, it marks the first major interfaith event under Pope Leo XIV and the debut of an entirely new papal delegation... One of the most anticipated figures in Astana is Patriarch Kirill of Moscow... Another high-profile participant is Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar...

Pope: Religions are wellspring of healing, not source of division (Vatican News)

Pope Leo XIV sent his greetings to participants with a message released on Wednesday that began with the greeting “peace” in several languages. The Pope said the religious leaders have come together at a time marked by violent conflict to “renew friendships and forge new ones, united in our common desire to bring healing to our fractured and wounded world.” Reflecting on the event’s theme “Dialogue of Religions: Synergy for the Future,” Pope Leo noted that every authentic religious impulse seeks to foster dialogue and cooperation, since they transcend borders and unite people everywhere. “Working together in harmony is not merely a pragmatic choice, but a reflection of the deeper order of reality,” he said. “Solidarity, then, is synergy in action: the lived expression of loving our neighbor as ourselves on a global scale.” Far from erasing differences, cooperation among religions invites the faithful to embrace diversity as a source of enrichment. The Pope recalled that the Second Vatican Council upheld the Catholic Church’s acknowledgement and esteem for all that is “true and holy” in other religions, in its 1965 declaration Nostra Aetate. “{The Church} seeks to foster authentic synergy by bringing the distinct gifts of each tradition to the table of encounter, where each faith contributes its unique wisdom and compassion in service of the common good,” he said. The Pope recalled that his predecessor, Pope Francis, attended the previous Congress in Astana in September 2022, when religious leaders condemned violence and upheld the need to care for refugees and work for peace. Pope Leo XIV called for leaders of all religions to commit to building a “future of peace, fraternity, and solidarity” by bearing witness to the truth that faith “unites more than it divides.” “Synergy,” he said, “becomes a powerful sign of hope for all humanity, revealing that religion, at its core, is not a source of conflict but a wellspring of healing and reconciliation”...

Interfaith Youths in Kenya End Convention with “pledge to reduce our Carbon footprint” (ACI Africa)

Young environmentalists in Kenya have concluded their two-day convention in Nairobi with a commitment to “reduce carbon footprint” and foster integral ecology in networking initiatives... “We, the undersigned, including representatives from high schools, universities, NGOs, faith-based organizations, and communities, affirm our collective commitment to fostering peace, ecological care, and sustainable development in Kenya and beyond,” they say... In the three-page statement signed by 39 organizations/institutions dealing with environmental conservation, including Hare Krishna Temple, Baha'i faith, and Tangaza University College, among others, the youths also pledged to raise awareness on environmental justice... “We pledge to engage in meaningful interfaith dialogue, sharing knowledge and working together to strengthen our collective efforts in addressing climate change. We recognize that all faiths have a role in guiding the world toward environmental justice and peace,” they say...

Nuncio asks for prayers and action for war-torn Sudan (Vatican News)

He stressed that war affects all alike: “This war has shown that Christians and Muslims suffer the same fate. When there’s a war, everyone suffers together. And to overcome this war, we must work together to rebuild Sudan”...

Archbishop Mourad: Interreligious dialogue is a necessity in Syria (Vatican News)

Archbishop Jacques Mourad, Metropolitan of Homs in Syria, receives the St. John Paul II Award in the Vatican in recognition of his dedication to peace and reconciliation, despite spending five months in captivity at the hands of the so-called Islamic State...

“A divided pulpit”: Catholic Bishop Criticized for Comments on Persecution of Christians in Nigeria (ACI Africa)

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah’s speech at the recent launch of the Aid to the Church in Need’s 2025 World Report on Religious Freedom in the World has attracted a lot of criticism, with some believing that what the Local Ordinary of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Sokoto said in Rome about persecution in his country does not address the anguish of Christians in the West African nation. In his October 21 speech at the Augustinian Patristic Pontifical Institute in Rome, Bishop Kukah acknowledged the deterioration of security in Nigeria, but added that it is not just Christians who are being persecuted across the nation. He said that “floods of blood in Nigeria” today “have no boundaries,” and added that “terrorist and murderous groups” who first emerged, targeting Church structures, kidnapping Priests, the Religious, Seminarians and other pastoral agents, while “invoking the words like, allahu akubar”, are now also killing Muslims who do not believe in their brand of Islam. Bishop Kukah insisted, “We are not dealing with people going around wielding machetes and looking for me in order to kill me because I am a Christian”...

It's good to see a Christian bishop speaking out courageously against the killing of any and all people, not just his own constituency, but also sad to see that this balanced view is criticised by some within his own group. Inter-faith dialogue still has a long way to go.

>198 brone:

It's good to see the international community, including President Trump, stepping up pressure on the Nigerian government to provide security for all Nigerians, not only one identity group, and to address issues of poverty, poor governance and corruption which fuel violence. However I doubt whether introducing foreign troops into the situation will be any more successful than it has been elsewhere.

Buddhism reaches the Vatican: A step towards global dialogue

The delegation of 80 members from the United Association of Humanistic Buddhism Chunghua was the only Chinese Buddhist group invited to attend the ceremony, meet Pope Leo XIV, and participate in a series of interreligious dialogue activities...

>197 John5918:

The Vatican's Cardinal Parolin also argued that the violence was "not a religious conflict but rather more a social one. We should also recognise that many Muslims in Nigeria are themselves victims of this same intolerance. These are extremist groups that make no distinctions in pursuing their goals. They use violence against anyone they see as an opponent."

Quoted in the Tablet, 1 November 2025, p 25.

>202 brone:

5,000+ dead human beings.

“God does not need shedding of blood,” Catholic Archbishop Decries Religious Violence in Nigeria (ACI Africa)

Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Nigeria's Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja has condemned the ongoing wave of religious-based violence in the West African nation, saying that God does not demand bloodshed or the cruel killing of innocent people...

More than 7,000 Muslim and Christian pilgrims gathered in October for the first interfaith pilgrimage in Lourdes in southern France, organised by the movement Ensemble avec Marie ("Together with Mary").

The Tablet, 15 November 2025, p 24

Jubilee Pilgrimage in Sierra Leone Resounds with Call to Protect Historical Harmony between Christians and Muslims (ACI Africa)

The Bishop of Sierra Leone’s Catholic Diocese of Makeni has exhorted Sierra Leoneans to jealously guard the peaceful coexistence of all faiths in the West African country, known as one of the places in West Africa where Christians and Muslims peacefully live together. In his homily on Sierra Leone’s national Jubilee pilgrimage that brought together people from all faiths in the country, Bishop John Hassan Koroma launched a passionate call to action for a hopeful and peaceful nation, noting that Sierra Leone is a beacon of hope in “a world fractured by religious extremism”. He said that the peace that people from all faiths in Sierra Leone enjoy is thanks to the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone (IRCSL). “Our nation’s beautiful history of harmony between Muslims and Christians is a beacon of hope in a world fractured by religious extremism, especially in our subregion. Thanks to the remarkable work of the Interreligious Council in this country. We must hold on to, and jealously protect this sacred legacy,” Bishop Koroma said at the pilgrimage that was held on Friday, November 21. He added, “Let us see people of other faith expressions as brothers and sisters, not as disposables, but as indispensable partners in building a just and peaceful Sierra Leone.” “Our unity is a testament that peace is the answer,” the Bishop said at the Church event that saw pilgrims from Sierra Leone’s four Dioceses of Freetown, Bo, Kenema, and Makeni converge in his Diocese...

>207 brone:

Pope Leo XIV calls for release of kidnapped students and priests (africanews)

Pope Leo XIV Decries Kidnapping of Catholic Priests in Nigeria, Cameroon, Urges “immediate release of hostages” (ACI Africa)

Reposting these from the thread on Pope Leo XIV

>197 John5918:

Nigerian Foundation Defends Catholic Bishop after Remarks on Genocide Targeting Christians (ACI Africa)

The Kukah Centre (TKC) has responded to what it describes as “mischaracterized” reporting on the remarks of its founder, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, regarding the alleged genocide of Christians in the West African nation... Bishop Kukah reportedly reaffirmed his view that current claims of a genocide or systematic persecution of Christians in Nigeria are not supported by credible data... Bishop Kukah emphasized that “genocide” is defined not by the number of deaths or attacks alone, but by intent, whether there is a deliberate plan to eliminate a group. He said, “You can kill 10 million people, and it still won’t amount to genocide. What matters is intent.” He also challenged the use of terms such as “martyrdom”, pointing out that some violence might be criminal or opportunistic rather than motivated by religious hatred... Fr. Barkindo said, “For the avoidance of doubt, at no point has His Lordship diminished the seriousness of the crisis of faith-based persecution in parts of Nigeria nor has he failed to identify with the very real sufferings caused by it”... At the Vatican, Bishop Kukah said, “By whatever names we choose, the fact is that Nigerians are dying unacceptable deaths across the country. In many cases, they are targeted because of their beliefs but also because of their ethnicity”...

Despite Vatican-Israel tensions, Catholics and Jews work to build trust in Haifa (NPR)

St. Louis the King Cathedral is festooned with string lights for the annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony. The multitude pressed between the alabaster-like walls of the churchyard is so dense, it almost feels like every one of Haifa's estimated 4,000 Maronite Catholics is here. Before the lighting ceremony and the fireworks, the Rev. Yousef Yacoub invites a rabbi onstage. Yacoub stands beside Na'ama Dafni of Or Hadash, a Reform congregation, as she lights a blue-and-white braided candle and says a nondenominational prayer. "It is a great honor and privilege to be with you today, to kindle lights of hope, happiness, and with prayers for peaceful holidays, years of quiet and good neighborliness, that we may raise our boys and girls with safety and love," she tells the crowd. Yacoub invited the rabbi to join him at the Christmas celebration, he says, to show "that we are praying, both of us, for light and for peace and for happiness for people"... It's part of an effort to forge interreligious understanding in an ancient port city with a very diverse landscape: In addition to its majority-Jewish population, there are many Christians here, including other Catholic denominations such as the Melkite Greek church, and significant communities of Muslims, Druze and Bahá'ís. Many have histories of persecution and suffering. For Maronites, the persecution goes back more than one-and-a-half millennia and occurred under a succession of rulers in the Middle East, both Christian and Islamic. "There was violence, there was hatred and there were wars," says Yacoub...