Pope meets with Catholic-Muslim delegation from
Britain
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Wednesday with English
Cardinal Vincent Nichols and four Muslim leaders from Britain who came to
highlight the deep-rooted interfaith relations among the different religious
communities in the UK today.
For the past three decades, Nichols and other Catholic leaders
have been working to develop strong ties with local Muslim communities. Among
some of the practical, grass roots initiatives that have resulted are the
setting up of shared food banks for the needy and the welcoming of newly
arrived refugee families.
Just two weeks ago, Cardinal Nichols stood side by side with
the Archbishop of Canterbury plus Muslim and Jewish leaders in London to
condemn the terror attack at the Houses of Parliament. As prayers were said for
the victims, the cardinal read out a message from Pope Francis offering condolences to the
grieving families and solidarity with the whole nation.
Just ahead of the papal audience in the Vatican, Philippa
Hitchen sat down with Cardinal Nichols and two of the Muslim leaders on the
delegation, Muhammad Shahid Raza, originally from India and Syed Ali Raza
Rizvi, originally from Lahore in Pakistan. They highlight the importance of
standing together to combat hatred, intolerance and violence in the name of
religion
Moulana Muhammad Shahid Raza begins by saying
they bring a message of “thanks and gratefulness for the kindness and sympathy
the Muslim community has always received from Vatican”. He also highlights
their “great appreciation” for Cardinal Nichols and the Catholic Church in the
UK which made the audience possible.
The cardinal notes that Muslim leaders like Muhammad Shahid
Raza have been working on interfaith relations in Britain for the past 30 years
and he hopes the papal audience will serve to encourage that work. He also
thanks the pope for his message of solidarity following the incidents in
Westminster two weeks ago.
Moulana Syed Ali Raza Rizvi says that “when
people see the reality of faith leaders together,” it shows clearly that “what
a few criminals are doing is different to what faith leaders are saying”.
Standing together, he says, “has a very positive reflection” showing that faith
does not divide, but rather it unites people.
He continues by noting that “in difficult times, people look
to faith communities” and the projects that Muslims and Christians are working
on together, especially with refugees “gives a very positive image of faith in
the 21st century”. In recent years, he adds, the cardinal has helped “not just
[to] bring us together but [to] create a friendship and that has made us increasingly
respectful of each other and our communities”.
Cardinal Nichols says he and the Archbishop of
Canterbury Justin Welby are seeking to “create a platform from which the Muslim
voice can be heard in the UK” . Following the recent terror attack, he says,
“Muslims all over the country stood up and said not in our name, Islam is a
religion of peace and we condemn these actions” but that voice is not heard. He
says he hopes that one of the tangible results of the papal audience is “the
right amplification of this voice in our midst”.
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