Scepticism about Muslim dialogue

Slow progress in Christian-Muslim dialogue has led to a growing scepticism about its usefulness and even to hostility among young religious leaders, according to Catholic and Islamic officials at a conference on interfaith relations in Paris, writes Tom Heneghan.

The conference marking the 40th anniversary of the French bishops’ conference’s Service for Relations with Islam (SRI) heard moving accounts of friendship across religions but also concern that more young believers were not coming forward to support dialogue.

The SRI in Paris and a network of dialogue experts in 70 dioceses across the country promote contacts with Muslims and help with pastoral issues such as mixed marriages.

“Faced with its slow progress, with violence and persecutions [in Muslim countries], some judge the results disappointing,” said Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

The French-born cardinal said he expected the election of Pope Francis to lead to a resumption of Vatican dialogue with Cairo’s al-Azhar University, the highest authority of Sunni Islam. Al-Azhar broke off ties in 2011 after then Pope Benedict condemned violent attacks on churches in Egypt, Iraq and Nigeria.

He added that religious freedom is still a taboo topic in Muslim countries. Christians cannot practise their faith freely in Saudi Arabia and schoolbooks in Gulf countries still describe Christians as infidels.

Among worrying signs is the fact there are no Europeans studying at the Vatican’s Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI). “There is no alternative to dialogue, it’s that or war,” the cardinal said.