Pope Benedict’s highly controversial 2006 Regensburg address, which revealed the heightening tensions between the world’s two largest religious traditions, prompted 271 Muslim scholars to ask for a Muslim-Christian dialogue in a manifesto called A Common Word. Next week twenty-four signatories of the manifesto meet with Pope Benedict and some other high-ranking officials of the Roman Catholic Church in an attempt to bridge the gap. The first two days of this historic event will be dedicated to private discussions about theology and human dignity, followed by a public session on the final day of the meeting. Amid high hopes for the first annual meeting of the new Catholic-Muslim Forum to increase religious understanding and cooperation, there are legitimate concerns over the outcomes as it remains to be seen whether the two sides can reach a consensus about such sensitive issues as gender equality and religious freedom. Read full story here.
Related articles:
Inter-Religious Dialog
Gavin D’Costa
From The Blackwell Companion to Catholicism
Islam and Christianity
Kenneth Cragg
From The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought
Religion Compass 