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.The conference marking the 40th anniversary of the French bishops' conference's Service for Relations with Islam (SRI) heard moving accounts of friendship across religious borders, but also concern that more young believers were not coming forward to support the dialogue project.
France's 5-million strong Muslim population is the largest in Europe and the French Church has the most extensive dialogue effort in the region.
Azzedine Gaci, a prominent Lyon imam, said some younger French religious leaders were openly hostile to cross-faith contacts. This was true for priests and imams alike, he said.
Several speakers said many majority French still did not know Muslims personally. "There's a fear there," said Georges Jousse, dialogue delegate in Bordeaux. "It's harder now. People ask us what we're doing."
"We have to invest in training people for dialogue," said Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The violence in the Islamic world showed that Muslims and Christians needed to know each other better.
"There is no alternative to dialogue - it's dialogue or war," he said.