Muslims must respect people of all faiths and not exclude them on thegrounds of religion, race or any other personal characteristic, a seniorVatican official said this week. In a message to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, thefestival marking the end of Ramadan, the Pope's interfaith expert has calledfor a "culture of peace and solidarity" between different religiouscommunities and to spread a teaching "which honours all human creatures".Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, the newly-appointed president of the PontificalCouncil for Interreligious Dialogue, the Vatican's main liaison agency withthe Muslim world, has previously expressed concern about the treatment ofChristians in Muslim-majority countries.
In one interview he highlighted the "extreme" case of Saudi Arabia wherefreedom of religion was "violated absolutely" with "no Christian churches and a ban on celebrating Mass, even in a private home".
The cardinal's Eid greeting does not single out Muslims for criticism - hisappeals are aimed at "religious believers" - nor does he make a direct link between Islam and violence.
Instead, he described it as the duty of believers to "reject, denounce andrefuse every recourse to violence, which can never be motivated by religion, since it wounds the very image of God in man.
"Violence, especially terrorism which strikes blindly and claims countlessinnocent victims, is incapable of resolving conflicts and leads only to adeadly chain of destructive hatred," he said.
Relations soured between the Vatican and Muslims after Pope Benedict XVIquoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor and triggered a wave of condemnation and violence. At least two people - an Iraqi priest and a Somali nun - werekilled in the ensuing unrest. Guardian Unlimited C Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
Sumber : http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,2186612,00.html
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