Catholic Religious Australia has created a resource to assist Catholics in understanding the evolving relationship between the Catholic Church and the Muslim world.
The resource is a response to the call of the Second Vatican Council document Nostra Aetate to “work sincerely for mutual understanding”.
The Catholic-Muslim Relations: The Call of Nostra Aetate resource consists of a six-page discussion in CRA’s Justice publication Just Now, which, in the 60th year of Nostra Aetate, reflects on the fraternal dialogue between the Holy See and global Muslim leaders and papal responses to Islamophobia.
“We hope this resource encourages Catholics to reflect more deeply on the relationships that have been patiently built between our two faith traditions over the past 60 years, and on the significant impact of Pope Francis’s dialogue with Islam, which has helped nurture trust, friendship and a shared commitment to peace,” said CRA Acting President, Sr Philippa Murphy FDNSC.
“It is important to also acknowledge the role of religious institutes in advancing Catholic-Muslim relations, particularly St Columbans Mission Society, who have been building mutual understanding between Christians and Muslims in Australia through their Centre for Christian-Muslim relations for almost 30 years,” Sr Philippa said.
CRA National Executive Director Anne Walker said Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, “set a groundbreaking example” when they co-authored the Document on Human Fraternity in 2019.
Ms Walker said the faith leaders encouraged “Catholics and Muslims everywhere to emulate their fraternal dialogue and mutual cooperation to address common concerns”.
“Rising Islamophobia in Australia is a grave concern. In releasing this resource in the wake of the International Day to Combat Islamophobia on March 15, it is our hope that it can assist Australian Catholics to stand up to prejudice against Muslims, with practical suggestions and resources for further learning and engagement with our Muslim brothers and sisters” Ms Walker said.
Details: Catholic-Muslim Relations: The Call of Nostra Aetate
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CRA Develops Resource to Nurture Interfaith Dialogue (Catholic Religious Australia)
