The Old Continent's bishops are to meet in London at the start of
May to discuss all things faith. Delegates for Christian-Muslim
relations will also be present.
Dialogue and Proclamation - 3rd Meeting of Bishops and Delegates for Christian – Muslim Relations in Europe -
London, Great Britain - May 1-3, 2013
Is dialogue with Muslims possible as an integral part of the New Evangelization and, therefore, also as an opportunity to proclaim Jesus Christ, fully respecting individual freedom and, yet, without hiding our beliefs? And how do Christian and Muslim youths build their identity in contemporary European society? Is the current (economic, family and ethical) crisis affecting young people’s identity? To summarize, what are the Church’s challenges in those domains where multiculturalism is a daily experience?
Bishops and delegates for Christian-Muslim relations from European Bishops’ Conferences will try to reply to these – as well as many other – questions during their 3 -day meeting in London.
This gathering - which will be chaired by Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux - will take place at the Royal Foundation of Saint Catherine (2 Butcher Row – London E14 8DS), and is being organized by the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE). The meeting will be opened on Wednesday May, 1 by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. The President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Mons. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, will also attend.
The afternoon’s keynote speech will be delivered by an expert, Father Andrea Pacini, CCEE Coordinator for this network and Secretary for ecumenism and interreligious dialogue of the regional Bishops’ Conference of Piedmont and the Aosta Valley. He will illustrate the meeting’s central theme, “Dialogue and Proclamation”, through the 1991 document carrying the same title, which was prepared jointly by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (only the English and Portuguese versions of this document are available at the following address:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/index_it.htm).
Thursday May, 2 will be entirely devoted to reflection, dialogue and exchange of experiences on the subject “Building religious identities among young Christians and Muslims in Europe: the challenge for efficient pastoral care for young Christians living with Muslims”.
This theme will be explored by Prof. Brigitte Maréchal, from the University of Louvain, who will focus on young Muslims’ identity building processes in situations where notions of religion and citizenship might clash and/or merge: this specific subject has been extensively studied by Prof. Maréchal. Later that day, the Secretary of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, dr. Erwin Tanner, will discuss how Muslim identity is being expressed in Europe by analyzing writings published by Tawheed Publishers, one of the most popular Muslim publishing houses.
Lastly, on Friday May, 3, delegates will describe the situation in their respective countries, trying to identify emerging issues in Christian - Muslim relations in Europe.
The meeting will not be open to the public. Interviews and tv shoots can be arranged through the CCEE press officer.
The event program, list of participants and scheduled speeches are available at www.ccee.eu