Category: Ecumenism

Nigerian Christians and Muslims open historic peace center

kano-central-mosque-bombing-victimThe center is located in Kaduna, where more than 20,000 people have died in various conflicts over the last three decades and it was opened Aug. 19.

It is one of a growing number of interfaith initiatives in Nigeria and its goal is to systematically document interfaith relations to inform national and international policy-making.

The Christian Council of Nigeria and Jama’atu Nasril Islam, led the effort to open the center, which was preceded in 2014 by a consultative forum held in Abuja that drew about 40 Muslim and Christian leaders.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, said at the official opening. Continue reading →

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To help desperate refugees, Mormons and Catholics join hands

Syrian_refugee_Credit_thomas_koch_via_wwwshutterstockcom_CNAThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has given $1.25 million in aid to Catholic refugee relief efforts.

“Together, as people of faith, we know that refugees desperately need our help – and this generosity allows us to serve many more,” said Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary bishop of Seattle and chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration.

The LDS Church, whose members are colloquially known as Mormons, gave cash and donated goods to aid newly arrived refugees. The refugees are helped through Catholic dioceses’ resettlement offices under the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services. The donation will help welcome refugees and help them build new lives, the U.S. bishops’ conference reported.  Continue reading →

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Catholic and Shia Muslim leaders unite to condemn WMDs, terrorism

Nuclear_bomb_explosion_at_the_Nevada_Test_Site_April_18_1953_Photo_courtesy_of_National_Nuclear_Security_Administration_Nevada_Site_Office_CNA_12_15_14Shia Muslim religious leaders from Iran and U.S. Catholic bishops say they have a common fight against weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and violent religious extremism.

“Christianity and Islam share a commitment to love and respect for the life, dignity, and welfare of all members of the human community,” they said in an Aug. 18 joint declaration. “Peaceful coexistence is built on equity and justice. We call upon all to work toward developing a culture of encounter, tolerance, dialogue, and peace that respects the religious traditions of others.”

The two delegations agreed that belief in one God unifies Jews, Christians, and Muslims.  Continue reading →

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In a first, US stamp to celebrate a Hindu holiday

The Postal Service will commemorate the joyous Hindu festival of Diwali with a Forever stamp. Photo courtesy of USPS
The Postal Service will commemorate the joyous Hindu festival of Diwali with a Forever stamp. Photo courtesy of USPS

WASHINGTON (RNS) Never before has a U.S. stamp celebrated anything Hindu.

But coming soon to a post office near you: a stamp marking the Hindu holiday of Diwali.

The new Forever stamp is scheduled to be featured at a first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony on Oct. 5 at the Consulate General of India in New York City.

Diwali, or the Hindu festival of lights, is observed across the globe with music, fireworks and dance. It celebrates good triumphing over evil.

The stamp features a photograph of a traditional diya oil lamp, its flame glowing in front of a gold background.

The Hindu American Foundation, which helped lead a campaign for the stamp, said the diya is “the most iconic symbol of the holiday.” Continue reading →

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Coming soon: a meeting between Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury

Pope_Francis_Credit_Daniel_Ibanez_Archbishop_Justin_Welby_Credit_Lambeth_Palace_Picture_Partnership_CNAPope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, the Primate of the Anglican Communion, will meet in Rome Oct. 5 to celebrate First Vespers in the Basilica of San Gregorio al Celio.

Although the meeting hasn’t been made official yet, the news was confirmed to CNA by a high ranking member of the Anglican Communion in Rome. Other sources have since confirmed that the meeting will be held Oct. 5.

While the schedule has yet to be completely defined, Pope Francis and Archbishop Welby are set to meet amid two busy days in Rome for the Anglican primate.

The two will celebrate First Vespers in San Gregorio al Celio Oct. 5. The next day they will have a private meeting that could signal a new phase in ecumenical relations. Continue reading →

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Jerusalem interfaith event to bring together leaders of Abrahamic faiths

download(JNS.org) A new interfaith and spiritual gathering of Christians, Jews and Muslims will take place in Jerusalem this September.

Amen-A House of Prayer For All Believers”, part of the 2016 Mekudeshet Festival from September 4-23, is an initiative created by the Jerusalem Season of Culture, an annual festival in Jerusalem, to bring together the world’s three major faiths “who share a belief in one God and a boundless love for Jerusalem to dialogue, study, sing and pray together in one temporary house of worship,” said a press release.

Continue reading →

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Evangelical Lutherans Overwhelmingly Vote to Approve Declaration of Unity With Roman Catholics

ELCA-compressed-701x423NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted overwhelmingly last week to approve a declaration of unity with the Roman Catholic Church in an endeavor to “enumerate the many points of agreement between Lutherans and Catholics”—a move that some state is contrary to biblical Christianity.

The “Declaration on the Way” was approved 931-9 during the denominational assembly at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. According to an official press release by the ELCA, members stood and applauded following the vote.

The declaration “seeks to make more visible the unity we share by gathering together agreements reached on issues of church, Eucharist and ministry,” the document outlines. However, it is called “on the way” because “dialogue has not yet resolved all the church-dividing differences on these topics.” Continue reading →

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Muslims Answered the call to join Catholics at their Sunday Mass

CoscghUVMAAWbtwMany Muslims attended church in France this Sunday to show compassion for slain priest, Father Jacques Hamel, and solidarity with their Catholic compatriots.

Nowhere was the emotion stronger than in Rouen Cathedral, near Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, where the elderly priest had his throat slit in church, in the name of ISIL.

“It is the same God. It is the house of God,” said one Muslim woman, among at least 100 who attended the Rouen service in a cathedral packed with nearly 2,000 worshippers.

France’s Muslim Council urged those who follow Islam to attend Mass this Sunday.  Continue reading →

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Muslim Blasts Extremists at Friday Prayer With Christians

WireAP_d7d4cd5aec1f4e49bffb4247200003b4_16x9_1600Muslims and Catholics joined in Friday prayers at the mosque in the Normandy town where an elderly priest was slain this week, with one imam chastising the extremists as non-Muslims who are “not part of civilization.”

Muslims came from other parts of France for the service shared with Christians.

The killing Tuesday of 85-year-old Rev. Jacques Hamel as he celebrated morning Mass sent shockwaves around France and deeply touched many among the nation’s 5 million Muslims. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, as well as the July 14 truck attack in Nice, where 84 people were killed by a man who plowed his truck down a seaside promenade. Continue reading →

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LEADERS OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCHES IN FRANCE EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

A priest was killed and another person seriously injured when two members from an Islamic extremist group stormed the Church of Saint-Etienne du Rouvray in Normandy, France, on July 26. The assailants slit the throat of Father Jacques Hamel, who was 85 years old.

In response, the Union of Federations of the Adventist Church in France (UFA) issued the following statement:  Continue reading →

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