The Permanent Committee for Islamic-Christian Dialogue between the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and the Muslim Council of Elders held its first meeting in the Kingdom of Bahrain to discuss ways for unifying joint efforts based on the role of religious leaders in facing contemporary global challenges and promoting Islamic-Christian dialogue and cooperation.

 

The Committee highlighted the significant role of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in strengthening the foundations of fruitful and constructive dialogue, with the support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, noting the efforts of the Kingdom in reinforcing the values of peace and co-existence amongst all.

 

The Permanent Committee for Islamic-Christian Dialogue was established under a joint memorandum of understanding between the Abu Dhabi-based Muslim Council of Elders and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue as a direct result of the historic meeting which took place in the Kingdom of Bahrain last November which brought together the Muslim Council of Elders and senior leaders of the Catholic Church. The meeting was attended by His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church and His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders.

 

In its final communique, the committee affirmed the importance of enhancing citizenship and abandoning the exclusionary use of the terms “minority” and “majority”. It also commended the Al-Azhar Declaration on Citizenship issued during the ‘Freedom and Citizenship: Diversity and Integration’ conference between Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders, as well as the principles stated in the Document on Human Fraternity and the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration for Peaceful Coexistence.

 

The committee also stressed the significance of efforts by religious leaders in addressing the negative impacts of climate change and the dangers it poses to the future of humanity. It highlighted the role that interreligious and intercultural dialogue can play in enhancing the involvement of religious leaders and institutions in confronting climate change during the upcoming COP28 conference. It also expressed its support for the United Nations and the United Arab Emirates in organizing the COP28 conference to achieve effective solutions to address the negative climate impacts that threaten the future and well-being of humanity.

 

The Permanent Committee for Islamic-Christian Dialogue noted the need to prepare a future project that includes various initiatives to enhance dialogue among people of different religions, with a special focus on Islamic-Christian dialogue. It affirmed that the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi represents a civilized model that preserves the uniqueness of each religion. It also emphasized that the Abrahamic Family House embodies a practical application of the 2019 Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity which was co-signed by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates. The Abrahamic Family House serves as a foundation for humanitarian dialogue among people of different religions and a humanitarian basis for coexistence and human fraternity.

 

The meeting was attended by the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, His Eminence Professor Dr. Abbas Shouman, former Deputy of Al-Azhar, His Eminence Al Sayyid Ali Al-Amine, member of the Muslim Council of Elders, His Excellency Datuk Senator Dr. Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, member of the Muslim Council of Elders, member of the Malaysian Senate and Malaysia’s former Minister of Islamic Affairs, His Eminence Dr. Shaikh Abdulrahman Derar Al Shaer, member of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in the Kingdom of Bahrain representing His Excellency Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in the Kingdom of Bahrain and member of the Muslim Council of Elders, Dr. Mohammad Al-Sammak, Secretary-General of the National Committee for Christian-Muslim Dialogue in Lebanon, His Eminence Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso, President of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, Monsignor Khaled Akasheh, Secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue and Monsignor Aldo Berardi, Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia.