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Oct. 26, 2006
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Inclusion, understanding of Islam
necessary, says Jesuit |
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Priest encourages Catholics to develop
relationships with Muslims |
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ST. FRANCIS — Roman Catholics must be open to understanding and inclusion of Muslims according to a Jesuit priest who recently spent time in Syria and Turkey studying Christian-Muslim dialogue.
Speaking at the Peter Favre Forum’s annual dinner meeting Oct. 18 at Saint Francis Seminary, Jesuit Fr. John Haughey, a research fellow at Georgetown University, spoke about his experiences at the Mar Musa Monastary, a Jesuit-founded community dedicated to Christian-Muslim dialogue.
“What I found at this monastery is that they’re almost traditional,” he explained. “Even though when you go in the chapel, you have to take your shoes off and there’s prayer mats on the ground. I was deeply touched by their sense of God and their effort to be in a union with God.”
Fr. Haughey spoke highly of the Muslims he met and urged those in attendance to attempt to understand this faith.
“There’s another way of understanding this faith,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking that all we know about Islam … is all negative and is all scary.
“If you see a sliver of an opportunity to develop a relationship (with a Muslim) at the level of sharing your faith, take it,” he advised. “I’ve found it changes your heart and your mind.”
Given the large number of Muslims in the world, Fr. Haughey stressed the importance of inclusion.
“Our future in this world is basically going to come down to whether or not Roman Catholicism can create an understanding of inclusion of this faith or if they can’t.”
So does Fr. Haughey think Christians and Muslims can pray together? His findings at the Syrian monastery helped him form his answer.
“What I learned is they love together and pray, rather than pray together,” he explain-ed.
Fr. Haughey, who was appointed by the Vatican’s Council on Christian Unity to serve as member of its international dialogues with Pentacostalism and World Evangelical Alliance, and who served as associate and corresponding editor for America magazine, briefly addressed Pope Benedict XVI’s words that sparked outrage in the Muslim community.
In September, the pope gave a speech in Germany that quoted from a text that criticized Islam and accused Muslims of spreading their faith “by the sword.” The speech caused widespread indignation among Muslims.
Since then, the pope has expressed his regret on several occasions at the offense taken by Muslims and distanced himself from the critical comments he quoted.
Referring to the pope’s comments as a “goof,” Fr. Haughey said the media showed us a small sampling of the response.
“We only know the extremist response,” he said. “We don’t know the general response.”
The Peter Favre Forum, named for a 16th century companion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, is directed by local business executives and co-sponsored by the Marquette University College of Business Administration and Saint Francis Seminary.
At monthly meetings, participants hear speakers talk about personal spiritual development, moral and ethical considerations in business decision-making and current Catholic teachings. |
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