Pope Francis marked the anniversary of the beginning of the war in Israel after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack by calling a day of prayer and fasting for peace.

On October 6, Francis presided over a rosary for peace, without mentioning that the anniversary coincides with another significant event in the history of inter-religious relations.

During the Counter-Reformation, popes gave the rosary a role in explaining the triumph of Christians in the Holy League over the superior Ottoman forces at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571, an event still evoked today by neo-traditionalists opposing Islam.

In 1572, Pius V established the feast of Our Lady of Victories on October 7 to give thanks for the victory, and in 1573, Gregory XIII dedicated the day to the Virgin of the Rosary, merging her iconography with that of the Virgin of Victory.

There was much that Pope Francis could not mention.

And there was something that he should not have mentioned in his "Letter to Catholics in the Middle East," for example, the passage from the Gospel of John 8:44, which some consider the single most antisemitic line in the New Testament.

This is just one example of the disastrous effects of the events of October 7, 2023, and their aftermath on relations between Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

Globalisation and the future of Catholicism

The war also impacts church politics. The war in the Middle East since October 2023 has amplified the effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

It has brought to the forefront three Italian cardinals on the international stage: Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state; Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna and Francis' special envoy for peace in Ukraine; and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Whatever happens between now and the next conclave, there is an Italianisation of the leading figures in the Catholic Church dealing with these major international crises.

Between the end of the Middle Ages and the early modern age, the Italianisation of the papacy and the Roman Curia was a response to the challenges brought to the church by the European powers and their support for schismatic demands.

We will see how the cardinals in the next conclave will respond to the challenges coming from the 21st-century world disorder.

"Having more cardinals from "the peripheries" means a college of cardinals more representative of the global Church, but also means a much higher number of cardinals physically distant from Rome and therefore potentially less able to advise the pope and the Curia."

The second effect is on the institutional responses of the Catholic Church and the Vatican in this age of geopolitical uncertainties. The globalisation of Catholicism means also a de-Europeanisation of the historical and religious narratives on the character and identity of the Church.

There have been previous phases of internationalization of the leadership of the Church in the College of Cardinals, especially since the 19th century, but today's diversification takes place in a situation Church in the Americas, especially in the United States.

This is visible in the list of the 21 new cardinals that Pope Francis will create in his tenth consistory of December 8.

This list sends strong signals to the countries that influence the destinies of the world: for example, creating as a cardinal Belgian missionary Dominique Joseph Mathieu, OFM Cap., archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan in Iran — a clear gesture to the United States and Israel at this time of serious risk of all-out war between Iran and an Israel supported by the United States.

But this internationalisation of the College of Cardinals also means the risk of overstretching the global institutional capacity of Catholicism.

Having more cardinals from "the peripheries" means a college of cardinals more representative of the global church, but also means a much higher number of cardinals physically distant from Rome and, therefore, potentially less able to advise the Pope and the Curia.

The strain on inter-religious relations

The third, most delicate, and disastrous series of effects concerns the future of the relations between the Catholic Church, Judaism and Islam.

This war in the Middle East broke out during the pontificate of Pope Francis, who is trying to do for the relations between the Church and Islam what John Paul II did for the relations with Judaism.

But now Catholicism must face the reality that institutionalised Christianity has been replaced as a source of antisemitism by some radical groups within Islam.

On the other side, there are Israel's political and constitutional trajectories under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In many ways, the State of Israel now faces the challenge of developing a modernity that reconciles religion and politics, a challenge that became more evident after the Holy See and Israel established full diplomatic relations in 1993.

Netanyahu's response to October 7 and his framing of relations between the Jewish state and Judaism are cementing a political theology of enmity between Jews and Muslims.

This challenges the post-Vatican II project of dialogue between the three Abrahamic religions as fundamental for peace-building, not only in the Middle East but as a paradigm for a new world order.

Vatican II set Catholic-Jewish dialogue in the context of European history, but that context is no longer the dominating working frame for interreligious relations, and not even for Jewish-Catholic relations.

The issue is not only that the moral lessons of World War II are now being sidelined or sometimes disregarded in secular post-colonial and de-colonial discourse.

In inter-religious dialogue, Jews and Muslims strongly committed to dialogue with the Catholic Church now feel that there is a growing set of issues that are not being acknowledged and understood in Rome.

This is paradoxically one of the fruits of the de-Europeanisation of the Vatican and global Catholicism. Vatican II set Catholic-Jewish dialogue in the context of European history, but that context is no longer the dominating working frame for inter-religious relations and not even for Jewish-Catholic relations.

On the other hand, the suffering of Palestinians and Christians in Gaza and Lebanon serves as yet another reminder of the challenges to fostering a culture of peace in today's high-tech warfare, where so-called pinpoint precision often accompanies indiscriminate bombings, leading to more innocent victims.

It also casts a dark shadow on the viability of the theology of liberation in the face of 21st-century state power and in the midst of wars and occupations where religion is manipulated into a "clash of civilizations."

The war unleashed by the events of October 7, 2023 risks squandering the journey made since the Second Vatican Council.

These events are happening during a time of the minimisation, in militant Catholic circles, of the theology of inter-religious dialogue within a Catholic Church that is more global but also far removed from Vatican II after 60 years.

After the conciliar declaration Nostra Aetate and especially after John Paul II, it was a common assumption that fighting antisemitism was an entry-level requirement for Catholics.

Sadly, this is no longer always true. It is not only the theology of new Catholic influencers but a broader process of de-theologisation and deculturation that reveals the marginalisation of Vatican II and its key documents on inter-religious relations, including Nostra Aetate and Dignitatis Humanae on religious liberty.

Impact of the war on the Catholic Church

One enormous problem is posed by radical traditionalist Catholic groups, but there are also the progressive Catholics who think that Vatican II is passé, the last gasp of a Church not inclusive enough, too Catholic to be modern.

There are some parallels between today's leftist progressivism and the blindness of socialists, communists, and radicals to antisemitism in the 20th century.

In many Western universities, the way administrators have handled the conflict and its aftermath has revealed that the religious diversity of Jews and Muslims and their protected status as minorities often does not align with the prevailing focus framed as sexual diversity and in ethnic-racial terms, particularly in the fight against "white supremacy," which tends to overlook religious considerations.

"One enormous problem is posed by radical traditionalist Catholic groups, but there are also the progressive Catholics who think that Vatican II is passé, the last gasp of a church not inclusive enough, too Catholic to be modern."

There is an irresponsible complacency that takes Vatican II for granted, but at times, there is also a programmatic liquidation of that chapter of our magisterial and theological tradition, becoming particularly problematic when on display in Catholic schools and universities.

Nostra Aetate and Christian-Jewish relations built many bridges in the post-Vatican II period, but many of these bridges now need to be inspected and, in some cases, rebuilt, also within Catholicism.

This war redefines the contours of what Karma Ben-Johanan, a professor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, called in her 2022 book on Christian-Jewish relations after Vatican II "the new covenant between Jews and Christians as the edict of the hour".

The new war in the Middle East represents a critical moment for that new covenant. October 7, 2023, and its aftermath affect the Catholic Church at the most profound institutional, theological and religious levels, with internal, international, and diplomatic dimensions that we have just begun to see.

• First published in La Croix International
• Massimo Faggioli is an Italian academic, Church historian, professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, columnist for La Croix

The pope set aside his prepared text during his address and spoke candidly to the audience.

Using an analogy, Francis said "All religions are a path trying to reach God".

"They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all" he said.

"Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God."

No religious fights

In a moment of reflection, Pope Francis warned against religious division.

"If you start to fight, ‘my religion is more important than yours, mine is true and yours isn't', where will that lead us?" he asked.

"There's only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christian and they are different paths [to God]."

When at war, first strategy is to take out communication

The pope's address was directed mainly at the youth, encouraging them to actively promote interfaith dialogue that maintains peace and understanding between religions.

"For interreligious dialogue among young people, it takes courage because youth is the time of courage in our lives" he said.

"You can also have this courage and use it for things that don't help you, or you can use it to move forward and engage in dialogue.

"One thing that helps a lot is to respect dialogue.

"I want to tell you something historical: every dictatorship in history, the first thing they do is take away dialogue" he said, urging the young people to be brave in engaging with those of different faiths.

"Why do I say this? Because overcoming these things helps in your interfaith dialogue since it is built upon respect for others. This is very important.

"If you dialogue as young people, you will dialogue more as adults, as citizens, as politicians" he said.

Giving further encouragement, Francis said "Do not be afraid", noting that fear is a dictatorial attitude that "can paralyse you".

Singapore: A religious mosaic

According to Pew Research Center, Singapore is ranked as one of the most diverse countries in the world in terms of religion.

Approximately 26% of Singaporeans identify as Buddhist, 18% as Muslim, 17% as Christian and 8% as Hindu. An additional 22% of Singaporeans do not identify with a specific religion.

Controversial comments

While the pope's message was welcomed by many, it has also sparked controversy among conservative Catholics.

Some fear that his remarks undermine Catholic doctrine, particularly the belief in Christ as the sole saviour of the world, and could discourage missionary efforts.

Despite this, the pope remained steadfast in his call for respect and dialogue.

Sources

• Vatican News
• Crux
• CNA

With COVID-19 restrictions preventing Barcelona's Islamic population from celebrating Ramadan at the usual indoor venues, Santa Anna church came to the rescue.

Every evening between 50 and 60 Muslims, many of them homeless, stream into the centuries-old stone passages of the church, where volunteers offer a hearty meal of home-cooked food.

"We are all the same. If you are Catholic or of another religion and I am Muslim, that's fine," said Hafid Oubrahim, a 27-year-old Moroccan of Berber descent who attends the dinners.

"We are all like brothers, and we must help each other too."

During the month of Ramadan, observant Muslims do not eat between sunrise and sundown. They break their fast only after nightfall with a meal known as Iftar.

Faouzia Chati, president of the Catalan Association of Moroccan Women, used to organize Iftar gatherings in the city. But limits on indoor dining forced her to seek an alternative space with good ventilation and room for distancing.

She found a receptive ear in Father Peio Sanchez, Santa Anna's rector. Sanchez sees the meeting of different faiths as emblematic of civic coexistence.

"People are very happy that Muslims can do Iftar in a Catholic church. Religions should serve to unite us, not to separate us," said Chati.

"Even with different cultures, different languages, different religions, we are more capable of sitting down and talking than some politicians," said the rector.

Sources

LiCAS News

Reuters

In the run-up to the trip, many in and outside the Vatican warned that the visit was not timely. They feared for the pope's security and feared that the visit's various events would be hives of COVID infections.

Despite the risks, Iraqis wanted him to come. Popes going back to St. John Paul II have been trying unsuccessfully to visit Iraq. There has not been and probably never will be a good time to visit Iraq.

Inside Iraq, it was harder to find people opposing the papal visit. The government wanted to show, by hosting such a high-profile world leader, that Iraq is safe and open for business.

Christians wanted their pastor to comfort them and showcase their great suffering. Muslims wanted him because they see him as someone who respects Islam and promotes reconciliation and peace.

Long after the COVID-19 pandemic is forgotten, Christians and Muslims will look back at the papacy of Francis as a turning point in their relationship. After the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), popes began reaching out to dialogue with Muslims.

John Paul II met and prayed with Muslims. And although Pope Benedict XVI's missteps temporarily interrupted dialogue, Francis has been extremely successful in improving relations.

Francis hopes that rather than being part of the problem, religion can become part of the solution in the Middle East. At Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, he told an interreligious gathering, "Hostility, extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart; they are betrayals of religion."

For most Iraqis, the high point of the pope's visit was his 45-minute meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf, the third holiest pilgrimage site for Shiite Muslims after Mecca and Medina.

Al-Sistani, who almost never meets with foreign dignitaries, is considered the most influential leader of Shiite Muslims.

Francis had already met with leading Sunni Muslim leaders, such as Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar in Egypt, with whom in 2019 he signed a document on human fraternity. Reaching out to both Muslim communities has been a priority for the pope.

Many had hoped that the pope and al-Sistani would also sign a joint statement; they didn't, but doors have been opened for future talks and dialogue. In any case, a picture is worth a thousand words.

After the meeting, the Vatican said that the pope had "stressed the importance of cooperation and friendship between religious communities for contributing — through the cultivation of mutual respect and dialogue — to the good of Iraq, the region and the entire human family."

The pope also praised al-Sistani "for speaking up — together with the Shiite community — in defence of those most vulnerable and persecuted," and for standing up for the dignity of human life.

Al-Sistani, for his part, issued a statement saying Christians should "live like all Iraqis, in security and peace and with full constitutional rights."

He affirmed the "role that the religious authority plays in protecting them and others who have also suffered injustice and harm in the events of past years."

The pope's visit was given positive coverage in the Iraqi media and in other Muslim countries, including Iran.

A major Iranian newspaper referred to the two leaders as "standard-bearers of world peace" and to the meeting as "the most effective event (in the history of) dialogue between religions."

Iraqi Christians also welcomed the meeting with al-Sistani, which they hoped would lead to better treatment of Christians in Iraq, who lived peacefully under Saddam Hussein but have been suffering in Iraq since the American invasion in 2003.

John Paul II predicted this when he tried to talk President George W. Bush out of the war.

Matters got even worse with the rise of the Islamic State group, which waged genocide against Christians, Shiites and others who did not share its beliefs.

As a result, the Christian population of Iraq fell from 1.4 million in 2014 to only 300,000 today.

Church leaders feared that without a papal visit, this exodus of Christian refugees from Iraq would continue.

The pope's visit highlighted the suffering of Iraqi Christians and tried to give them hope. In the Assyrian Catholic cathedral in Baghdad, where nearly 50 people were killed in a 2010 terrorist attack, he appealed for "forgiveness, reconciliation and rebirth" in Iraq.

"We are gathered in this Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation, hallowed by the blood of our brothers and sisters who here paid the ultimate price of their fidelity to the Lord and his church," Francis said.

"Christians are called to bear witness to the love of Christ in every time and place. This is the gospel that must be proclaimed and embodied in this beloved country as well."

Whether the papal visit will stop the exodus of Iraqi Christians and encourage refugees to return remains to be seen, but the community clearly welcomed the pope's visit and the attention it brought to their plight.

"Now is the time to rebuild and to start afresh, relying on the grace of God, who guides the destinies of all individuals and peoples," the pope said in Qaraqosh, a Christian town in Iraq's Nineveh Plains, which was devastated during the war with the Islamic State group. "You are not alone! The entire church is close to you, with prayers and concrete charity."

The pope also called on all Iraqis to work together for peace and criticized countries selling arms to the combatants.

"The religious, cultural and ethnic diversity that has been a hallmark of Iraqi society for millennia is a precious resource on which to draw, not an obstacle to be eliminated," the pope reminded Iraqis.

"Iraq today is called to show everyone, especially in the Middle East, that diversity, instead of giving rise to conflict, should lead to harmonious cooperation in the life of society."

This pope has been willing to take risks, even with his own life. Sadly, some during the visit did not wear masks or keep a social distance.

Time will tell whether the increase in infections is significantly greater than what would have occurred anyway.

Francis was warned against going to the Holy Land at the beginning of his papacy.

He was warned against going to Myanmar and, most recently, against going to Iraq.

Since all of these trips were successes, he is showing that his instincts are way better than his critics'. He was also lucky this time with no surprising sex or financial scandal to distract the media from his message.

This pope clearly likes to travel and his trips have proved to be very good for the church and humanity.

But it was obvious that his sciatica was causing him pain when walking during the visit. How many more trips does he have in him?

Granted his successes in promoting religious freedom, peace and interreligious understanding, let us hope for many more trips.

• Thomas Reese SJ is a senior analyst at Religion News Service, and a former columnist at National Catholic Reporter, and a former editor-in-chief of the weekly Catholic magazine America. First published in RNS. Republished with permission.

The woman, who was also dining in the cafe, told them their discussion wasn't appropriate and they should consider other people's "comfort zones".

Anna Amos, 17, who is homeschooled in Waikawa, said she and a friend had been discussing the differences between their religion. Anna is non-Catholic Christian and her friend is Catholic. Read more

Eid al-Fitr celebrates the end of of Ramadan. Literally the word means the "Festival of Breaking the Fast."

Because Islamic calendars are lunar, on the 29th day of Ramadan the crescent moon will show whether Eid falls on July 6 or 7.

In the message the President of the PDIC cardinal, Jean-Louis Tauran, said "We join our prayerful good wishes to those of Pope Francis for abundant blessings during Ramadan and for a lasting joy of Eid al-Fitr. Happy Feast to you all!."

Muslims and Christians working together

The message also expresses the hope that "all work together in assisting those in need." It is a source of great hope when we experience or hear of Muslims and Christians joining hands to help the needy."

"When we do join hands, we heed an important command in our respective religions and show forth God's mercy, thus offering a more credible witness, individually and communally, to our beliefs."

How is Eid al-Fitr celebrated?

At Eid al-Fitr people dress in their best clothes, decorate their homes with lights and decorations, give treats to children, and enjoy visits with friends and family.

A sense of generosity and gratitude colors these festivities. As the month draws to a close, Muslims are obligated to share their blessings by feeding the poor and making contributions to mosques.

Rotorua Muslims share with the needy

In Rotorua members of the Muslim community prepared food for those in need at Love Soup Rotorua this last before eating together to show "they [homeless] were not invisible".

Shiffa Harunani says they tried to fast with both their mouths and with their actions, "to be a good human being."

She said she and her husband donated food to charity Love Soup Rotorua each week, but as part of Ramadan they decided to cook the dinner themselves.

They also invited the Muslim community to join in.

Source

• Supplied
• nzherald.co.nz
• Image: nzherald.co.nz

This is the hope expressed by the Vatican Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue as it acknowledges the the celebration of the Hindu Festival of Light.

The Festival is more commonly called Diwali in North India and South India it is mostly called Deepavali. The meaning of both the words is the same.

"As people grounded in our own respective religious traditions and with shared convictions, may we, Hindus and Christians, join together with followers of other religions and with people of good will to foster a culture of inclusion for a just and peaceful society." says the president of the Council, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.

Source

• pcinterreligious.org
• Image: inksploration.com

The supermarket won the Equal Employment Opportunities Trust diversity award for innovation in 2005 after Carran set up a prayer room for Muslim staff.

"It's just good business," he says. "It's just being a decent human being and understanding and accepting other cultures."

Of the store's 270 staff only half were born in New Zealand. Employees are from India, China, the Middle East and Africa, Carran says. Continue reading

"This centre is purposely for those iTaukei people that want to learn the basics of the Islam faith in the iTaukei language," says Mohammed Ismail, who is a teacher at the new centre

"Another reason we opened this centre is because it is easily accessible to those living and working in Suva City."

"We pray five times a day and those that work and live around here that find it hard to get to the mosques in Samabula and Toorak on time, now have a centre they can go to for prayers." said Ismail

Source

• Fiji Times
• Image: Fiji Times

Islam arrived in Papua New Guinea about 35 years ago, when a mosque was opened near Kimbe, West New Britain.

Islam was officially registered in the state in 1983, with the recognition of the "Islamic Society of Papua New Guinea", and Muslims who originally came from outside of PNG started recruiting at a local level, with an exponential growth.

In 1986, the Muslims of Papua were four, in 1990 they had grown to 440 and in 2000, their number had risen to 756, scattered in different provinces of the country.

Today, according to the "Islamic Center" in Port Moresby, the local Muslim population has about 4,000 people.

The Commission for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue of the Catholic Bishops' Conference has organized meetings with representatives of the Muslim community and dialogue is still continuing.

Currently, the Muslim community in Papua is served by 15 Islamic centers led by imams, while the Muslim youth in Papua New Guinea receive scholarships to study abroad in Islamic schools in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Fiji. Upon returning home, they will become teachers, scholars and Koran jurists.

Source

• Catholic Church of PNG and SI
  
• Fides
• Image Garamut

Chag sameach means "Happy holiday" in Hebrew. Chag is the Hebrew word for holiday, sameach is the Hebrew word for happy. Chag sameach is the traditional greeting among Jews before any holiday.

The message reads:

Dear Jewish brothers and sisters throughout New Zealand

Please accept prayerful greetings from the NZ Catholic Bishops' Committee for Interfaith Relations at this time of the year when you prepare to celebrate the harvest festival of Sukkot, the Festival of Tabernacles.

It has been very enlightening to learn more about Sukkot. Most people are aware of the Leviticus story which tells of the forty years the Jewish people spent in the wilderness on the way from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. Most however would not know of the sukkah and the symbolic use of the palm branch, the citrus fruit, the myrtle and the willow and the waving of the lulav.

It is by learning more about festivals such as Sukkot, with their significance to the Jewish people that we deepen our understanding and respecting of the Jewish faith but also learn more of our common history. It also reminds us of our shared concepts such as pilgrimage and its importance in our faith traditions.

We wish you a joy-filled Sukkot and look forward to our continuing to work together towards peace, closer relations and a widespread acceptance and celebration of diversity.

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference Committee for Interfaith Relations was established in 2009 to do assist them in their interfaith work.

The Committee consists of up to eight members.

The aim of the Committee is to further understanding, mutual respect and dialogue between Catholics and members of other world religions in New Zealand, and to work with people of other faiths for the good of the whole community.

Source

• J-wire
• NZCBC
• Image: Kevarim.com

About 500 people witnessed the ground breaking and blessing ceremony at the site of the future community centre and temple on Brick St in Henderson.

The trust's president Pravin Kumar aims to build a place where people can pray in the temple and learn about Indian culture as well as creating a place where the community can congregate regardless of race or religion.

The two-storey building will include a temple and hall on the top floor and a community centre on the ground floor. The basement will be a parents room.

Continue reading

The main purpose of the conference was to look for ways to ensure the establishment of robust relationships that would promote religious freedom and tolerance and mutual respect for different churches and faiths, including, a sensitivity to and respect for, local practices.

In his keynote address titled "Religion, Law and the Samoan Indigenous Reference," His Highness the Head of State Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Ta'isi Efi said: "Religion and law in the Samoan indigenous context amounts to a search for tofa sa'ili, for tua'oi and lagimalie."

He said "Tofa sa'ili is the search for wisdom; a search for God - (tofa is wisdom; sa'ili means ‘to search for').
Tua'oi means boundary. Lagimalie, in this case, it literally refers to the harmony or remembrance. These three concepts frame my address."

Tuiatua said, "The quest for freedom of religion presumes not only the right to worship one's God freely, but also the responsibility to practice that worship in a way that respects and upholds the virtues of harmony, balance and justice."

The conference was the first of its kind in Samoa and was attended by representatives from Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Australia, the United States of America and New Zealand.

Source

• The Samoa Observer
• Te Korowai Whakapono
• Image: International Centre for Law and Religion Studies

The attack, during which stones and dirt were also hurled, occurred on Thursday as around 100 Christians prepared to hold a service at a church in Bekasi, a city on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta.

"They attacked when the priest started to speak to the congregation. A crowd of 600 people threw bags of urine and dirty water as they tried to push police," a lawyer for the church, Judianto Simanjuntak, told AFP.

Continue reading

In February, Deaker declared on Sky TV that he did not like Williams: "He is a Muslim, in a so-called Christian country, and that makes me uncomfortable."

Sky will not release the Deaker on Sport episode in which the remark was made without his permission.

Dion Nash who was on the panel when Deaker made his comment said he believed Deaker "got carried away with the moment".

"What he said was he couldn't understand, he was struggling to understand where Sonny Bill Williams was coming from, and then he listed a whole lot of things ... one of the things was he was a Muslim living in a Christian country."

Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand president Anwar Ghani said Sky and Deaker should release the programme as he would like to see it.

"It is very sad to hear somebody of his intellect can make such a comment. It is a bit unprofessional."

Last year Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand senior vice-president Javed Khan said he was unhappy that an All Black was not listed among the world's 500 most influential Muslims: "Sonny Bill Williams is probably the most famous Muslim in New Zealand and, in a Rugby World Cup year, has brought the faith to prominence. I think the only reason he was not included in the list is because these people are not aware of the existence of New Zealand's Muslim superstar and we'll be writing to them to make sure he's there next year."

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Taranaki Daily News
• New Zealand Herald
• Image: The Telegraph

Association president Anwar Ghani says at present, Muslims have to take up to four days' annual leave to celebrate religious holidays such as Eid-al-Fitr which marks the end of the month of Ramadan.

"It would be really a lot nicer if we had the provision to substitute one or two days of the other holidays so that we can, without sacrificing the annual leave, enjoy the festivities and feel that we have been included in the provisions of leave."

Business New Zealand chief executive Phil O'Reilly says in principal, there will be a lot of sympathy for the idea of transferring holidays.

However, he says it is not practical - especially when considering all the various faiths and the holidays they may have

Source

• Radio New Zealand - Anwar Ghani
• Radio New Zealand - Phil O'Reilly
• Image: Pakistanis for peace

The St Francis of Assisi Day of Prayer for Peace began on 27 October 1986, when Blessed John Paul II initiated a meeting in Assisi with members of different faith communities. Another meeting followed in January 2002.

The New Zealand services will consist of prayers read from members of different faith communities and conclude with a shared prayer of the Decalogue of Assisi for Peace, a prayer of commitment to peace first used at the 2002 meeting in Assisi. The faith groups participating include Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Baha'i and Sikh.

Chair of the NZCBC Committee for Interfaith Relations, Sr Catherine Jones, says the Assisi Anniversary is important for us in New Zealand, "as we are drawn ever more into peacemaking in our own lives, in our country, and in the world".

"Being a "pilgrim" means that we are on a journey with others, seeking the way ahead, step by step, day by day," she says. "Organising a multi-faith prayer event is an invitation to each one to enter more deeply into our own faith tradition, and to receive the gifts of truth and of peace that other believers can offer us".

Benedict had told reporters on his flight to Germany that he sympathised with the thousands who had turned their backs on the Church over the paedophile scandals: "I can understand that in the face of such reports, people, especially those close to victims, would say 'this isn't my Church anymore'," he said

On Friday the he met with victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy and expressed regret for their suffering. A Vatican official said after the meeting that the Pope was "moved and deeply shaken by the sufferings of the victims."

Pope Benedict met with representatives of the Lutheran Church. Nikolaus Schneider, the head of the Lutheran Church said he had conveyed the message to the Pope that his flock was not satisfied with current relations with the Vatican. "Our hearts are burning for more and that could be sensed today."

In his farewell address Benedict said that while his visit was particularly aimed at the Catholic communities in Berlin, Erfurt, Eichsfeld and Freiburg. "Here in the land of the Reformation, Christian unity was naturally a high point of my journey. I would mention in particular my meeting with representatives of the Lutheran Church in Germany, which took place in the former Augustinian convent of Erfurt. I am profoundly grateful for our fraternal exchange and common prayer. Significant too were my meetings with Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians, as well with Jews and Muslims."

• Benedict's speech to Lutheran leaders.
• Benedict's address to Muslim leaders
• Muslim Leader's Welcome Speech
• Benedict's address to Jewish Leaders
• Benedicts address to Orthodox Leaders
• Pope says agnostics may be closer to the Kingdom than routine believers

Philip Jensen asks if we can build a bridge on the basis of believing in only one God? Muslim preachers want to build the bridge there, claiming that we worship the same God, though they with clearer understanding since their prophet's message is not distorted and is God's final revelation to humanity. But do we worship the same God? Or do we worship a different God, even though we agree there is only one and he is the creator of all things. Is Yahweh Allah?

Read Jensen's Blog

Phillip Jensen, is the author of a number of books and a sought after speaker in Australia and internationally. He is currently the Dean of Sydney at St Andrew's Cathedral and Director of MTD, which provides the ongoing training for Ministers in the Sydney Diocese.

Image: Anglicans Ablaze