Pope sends mesage to Muslims at end of Ramadan

Pope Francis has sent a message to Muslims throughout the world for the end of Ramadan:

To Muslims throughout the World  

It gives me great pleasure to greet you as you celebrate ‘Id al-Fitr’, so concluding the month of Ramadan, dedicated mainly to fasting, prayer and almsgiving.  

It is a tradition by now that, on this occasion, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue sends you a message of good wishes, together with a proposed theme for common reflection. This year, the first of my Pontificate, I have decided to sign this traditional message myself and to send it to you, dear friends, as an expression of esteem and friendship for all Muslims, especially those who are religious leaders.  

As you all know, when the Cardinals elected me as Bishop of Rome and Universal Pastor of the Catholic Church, I chose the name of “Francis”, a very famous saint who loved God and every human being deeply, to the point of being called “universal brother”. He loved, helped and served the needy, the sick and the poor; he also cared greatly for creation.  

I am aware that family and social dimensions enjoy a particular prominence for Muslims during this period, and it is worth noting that there are certain parallels in each of these areas with Christian faith and practice.  

This year, the theme on which I would like to reflect with you and with all who will read this message is one that concerns both Muslims and Christians: Promoting Mutual Respect through Education.  

This year’s theme is intended to underline the importance of education in the way we understand each other, built upon the foundation of mutual respect. “Respect” means an attitude of kindness towards people for whom we have consideration and esteem. “Mutual” means that this is not a one-way process, but something shared by both sides.

The entire message is here.

Muslims shield Christian churches

Over at The Deacon’s Bench, we found this story about religious solidarity:

Egypt’s majority Muslim population stuck to its word Thursday night. What had a been a promise of solidarity to the weary Coptic community, was honoured, when thousands of Muslims showed up at Coptic Christmas eve mass services in churches around the country and at candle light vigils held outside.

This is a story worth the read.

Manhattan mosque calls for a Christian response

Walter Ayres, a member of the Commission on Peace and Justice, wrote a column about this in The Evangelist:

In 1775, at the start of the American Revolution, only one of the 13 colonies permitted Catholics — then a religious minority — to practice their faith freely. Catholic priests found in New York risked imprisonment or hanging.

While Catholics today have risen to positions of power, today’s religious minorities face some of the same bigotry that our ancestors in the faith suffered in the past.

Do we identify with people who are persecuted, or with the ones who do the persecuting?

Controversy surrounds plans to build a mosque in Manhattan just a few blocks from Ground Zero. For many, this is an affront to the memory of those who died on 9/11. For others, these plans are a demonstration of America’s tolerance.

Too often, the fears we have are based on inaccurate information about a religious minority, just as the fears that led white Anglo-Saxon Protestants to ban Catholic priests were based on unfounded fears of Catholics.

The rest of the article is here.