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| The King Abdullah has chaired in Madrid an international conference with representatives coming from the three monotheist religions. An event! |
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| What is extraordinary is the king of Saudi Arabia took the initiative of the conference. A real surprise. In Saudi Arabia the practice of Islam is one of the strictest. The famous Islamic centres, La Mecca and Medina are in Saudi Arabia. Any worship other than Islam is allowed. |
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And then, this long reigning king, considered as very conservative, is multiplying the signs of opening, showing an adventurous spirit. He recognizes the values of the other religions and invites them to a dialogue and to be tolerant. He was the first sovereign of Saudi Arabia to meet the Pope in Roma. I am really astonished! |
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| The Anglican Church is on the verge of a schism. The ordinations of homosexuals and of women are a source of division. The opponents are mainly bishops from the South. Can we see it as a split between the North and South countries? |
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| Many dissident bishops are effectively from the South Hemisphere, especially from Nigeria and many make a relationship with the end of the “colonial era”, and however there are also dissident bishops in the North. |
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What is at stake is how the Scriptures should be understood. They say if you change the Bible to adapt it to the western lifestyle, you put yourself in a weak position in the face of Islam. A religion that changes according to the time we are living cannot compete any more with Islam, we ought to be able “to answer to the Koran by the Bible”.
I don’t agree with this point of view. The modern times challenge us to make another understanding of the Bible, a necessary task that is never finished. What is related to an era and a culture has to be put in perspective; we should not make a dogma of them nor launch a new Galileo affair. In doing this, we will serve better Islam. |
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| The World Youth Day event was recently held in Australia. It is always an opportunity for a festive gathering around the Pope. Are you not afraid that this kind of event runs out of steam after a while? |
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The youth participating to this event were full of enthusiasm. It was a landmark in their life. However travelling was expensive, immigration visas were difficult to obtain. Youth from southern countries were less likely than others to be able to attend. |
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Can we not have some regional gatherings, less spectacular and as well fruitful for the future?
We are lucky enough to live in a time where we have to innovate. |
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