(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The Centre for Inter-Religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation (Tehran, Iran) and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (Vatican) held their seventh Colloquium in Tehran from 9 - 11 November 2010 under the joint presidency of H. E. Dr Mohammad Baqer KHORRAMSHAD, President of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation, and of His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Louis TAURAN, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
The delegation of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation (I.C.R.O.) comprised:
- Dr Homayon HEMMATI
- Dr Younes NOURBAKSH
- Dr Abdolrahim GAVAHI
- Hojjat al-Islam Dr Mohammad Jafar ELMI
- Hojjat al-Islam Dr Seyyed Mahdi KHAMOUSHI
- Dr Rasoul RASOULIPOUR
- Dr Mohammad Hossein MOZAFFARI
The delegation of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue comprised:
- His Excellency Archbishop Pier Luigi CELATA
- Reverend Monsignor Khaled AKASHEH
- Reverend Father Prof. Andrea PACINI
- Reverend Father Francesco PIRISI
- Prof. Silvio FERRARI
- Prof. Alessandro FERRARI
During the inaugural session, moderated by Dr Mohammad Reza DEHSHIRI, Vice President of I.C.R.O. (Research and Education) besides the welcome address by H.E. Dr KHORRAMSHAD and the inaugural remarks by His Eminence Cardinal TAURAN, there were interventions by Ayatollah Mohammad Ali TASKHIRI, Secretary General of the Forum for Proximity among the Islamic Schools of Thought, and H.E. Archbishop CELATA, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
The participants, with the help of papers presented by scholars from both sides, examined the theme "Religion and Society Today: Christian and Muslim Perspectives", which was developed through three subthemes from the points of view of Catholics and Shia Muslims: 1) Religion and Civil Society: A Philosophical and Theological Perspective; 2) Religion and Civil Society: A Historical-legal Perspective; 3) Religion and Civil Society: Contemporary Difficulties and Opportunities.
At the end of the meeting the participants agreed upon the following:
1. Believers and religious communities, based on their faith in God, have a specific role to play in society, on an equal footing with other citizens;
2. Religion has an inherent social dimension that the State has the obligation to respect; therefore, also in the interest of society, it cannot be confined to private sphere;
3. Believers are called to cooperate in the search for common good, on the basis of a sound relation between faith and reason;
4. It is necessary for Christians and Muslims as well as all believers and persons of good will, to cooperate in answering modern challenges, promoting moral values, justice and peace and protecting the family, environment and natural resources;
5. Faith, by its very nature, requires freedom. Therefore, religious freedom, as a right inherent to human dignity, must always be respected by individuals, social actors and the State. The cultural and historical background of each society which is not in contradiction with human dignity should be taken into consideration in applying this fundamental principle;
6. Education of the young generation should be based on the search for truth, spiritual values and promotion of knowledge.
The participants, pleased with the friendly atmosphere of the meeting, recognizing the similarities and respecting the legitimate differences, emphasized the necessity of continuing on the path of a genuine and fruitful dialogue.
The Proceedings of the Colloquia held since 1994 will be published both in English and in Farsi.
The next Colloquium will take place in Rome in two years and will be preceded by a preparatory meeting.
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