Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims
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The Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims is a commission in the Roman Curia tasked with maintaining positive theological ties with Muslims and Islam. It is distinct unit within the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and the President of the Council is also President of the Commission.
The Secretary of the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims is Monsignor Khaled Akashed.
The Commission has its own Consultors:
- Fr. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua, director of the Department for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria;
- Fr. Amir Jaje O.P., secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Inter-religious Dialogue of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Iraq;
- Fr. Felix Korner S.J., professor of the theology of religions at the Pontifical Gregorian University;
- Rotraud Wielandt, professor of Islamic studies at the University of Bamberg, Germany;
- Ian Netton, vice director of Arab and Islamic studies at the University of Exeter and professor of Islamic studies at Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Romana Bashir, head of the Christian Study Centre in Rawalpindi, Pakistan[1]
Reorganization
On 11 March 2006, Pope Benedict XVI altered the status of that Pontifical Council and this Commission by combining the Council's presidency with that of the Pontifical Council for Culture, then led by Cardinal Paul Poupard, who shared Benedict’s skeptical view of interreligious discussions.[2] This organizational change reflected Benedict's view of the nature of dialogue with non-Christians, which he thought could not be theological and needed to focus on shared values, questions not of doctrine but culture.[3] In the tense atmosphere of Catholic-Muslim relations at the time, just months after Benedict’s Regensburg address was met with outraged reactions in the Muslim community,[4] Benedict's organizational move was seen as "downgrading" the significance of Catholic-Muslim relations.[5] After some criticism, Benedict restored the independence of the Pontifical Council and this Commission distinct from the Council for Culture when he separated the presidencies and named Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on 25 June 2007, effective 1 September 2007.[6][a]
- Leadership
- Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran
- Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata
- Cardinal Paul Poupard
- Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald
Notes
- ^ The Vatican, atypically, announced the restoration of the independence of the Council on Interreligious Dialogue a month in advance of the official change, through a statement by the Secretary of Staye Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone in late May 2007.[7]
References
- ^ "Inter-religious affairs: Pope appoints Rev. Fr. Omonokhua consultor". Daily Trust. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 11.03.2006" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 11 March 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
Il Papa, al fine di favorire un dialogo più intenso fra gli uomini di cultura e gli esponenti delle varie religioni, ha unito per ora la presidenza del Pontificio Consiglio per il Dialogo Interreligioso a quella del Pontificio Consiglio della Cultura...
- ^ Kramer, Jane (26 March 2007). "The Pope and Islam". The New Yorker. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ de Souza, Raymond J. (8 February 2019). "On Islam, Francis Follows in Benedict's Footsteps". Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Allen Jr., John L. (30 May 2007). "Council for Interreligious Dialogue to be restored, Vatican says". National Catholic Reporter.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 25.06.2007" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Pullella, Philip (28 May 2007). "Pope in about-face over Muslim dialogue office". Reuters. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
External links
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