Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the Pontifical Council for
Inter-religious Dialogue, urged Catholics and Muslims to strengthen
their families and pass on moral values to their children, in a message
for the upcoming end of Ramadan.
“Christians and Muslims, beyond
their differences, recognize the dignity of the human person endowed
with both rights and duties,” Cardinal Tauran said.
“This is why
the transmission of such human and moral values to the younger
generations constitutes a common concern,” he explained.
“It is
our duty to help them discover that there is both good and evil, that
conscience is a sanctuary to be respected, and that cultivating the
spiritual dimension makes us more responsible, more supportive, more
available for the common good.”
Cardinal Tauran made his remarks
in a letter to the Muslim community to mark the end of Ramadan, the
traditional Islamic month of fasting which takes place this year from
Aug. 1 – 29.
“The end of the month of Ramadan offers the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
a welcome occasion for sending you our most cordial wishes, hoping that the efforts you have
so generously made during this month will bring all the desired spiritual fruits,” he said.
a welcome occasion for sending you our most cordial wishes, hoping that the efforts you have
so generously made during this month will bring all the desired spiritual fruits,” he said.
Cardinal
Tauran noted that the council wanted to emphasize “the theme of the
spiritual dimension of the human person” in its annual Ramadan greeting.
“This concerns a reality which Christians and Muslims consider
to be of prime importance, faced as we are with the challenges of
materialism and secularization,” he said.
“Christians and
Muslims,” he noted, “are too often witnesses to the violation of the
sacred, of the mistrust of which those who call themselves believers are
the target.”
“We cannot but denounce all forms of fanaticism and
intimidation, the prejudices and the polemics, as well as the
discrimination of which, at times, believers are the object both in the
social and political life as well as in the mass media,” he underscored.
Cardinal
Tauran concluded his letter by saying that the Catholic community is
“spiritually very close to you, dear Friends,” and “asking God to give
you renewed spiritual energy” as “we send you our very best wishes for
peace and happiness.”
The letter was also signed by the council’s secretary, Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata.