Final Declaration From the Catholic-Muslim Forum. Berkeley (CA, USA), 11/08/2017

Transcription

1 Final Declaration From the Catholic-Muslim Forum Berkeley (CA, USA), 11/08/2017 The Catholic-Muslim Forum, established in 2008 by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and the signatories of the Open Letter (A Common Word) to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders, held its fourth seminar in Berkeley (CA, USA), during November 6 8, The seminar, hosted by Zaytuna College, was held under the patronage of HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, coordinator of Muslim participation in the forum, and that of His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the PCID. The theme Integral Human Development: Growing in Dignity: Catholic and Muslim perspectives was studied under three subthemes, treated from the Catholic and Muslim viewpoints, respectively: (1) What Does It Mean to Be Human?, (2) Integral Human Development, and (3) Obstacles and Opportunities to Integral Human Development. The Catholic and Muslim delegations each consisted of eleven participants and six observers. The Muslim delegation was led by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, president of Zaytuna College, and the Christian delegation by the Most Reverend Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, M.C.C.J., secretary of the PCID, on behalf of Cardinal Tauran. The eleven Muslim participants were as follows: 1) Imam Zaid Shakir, M.A. Co-founder and senior faculty member, Zaytuna College, Berkeley, California, USA 2) Hatem Bazian, Ph.D. Provost and co-founder, Zaytuna College, Berkeley, California, USA 3) Omar Qureshi, Ph.D. Presenter: What It Means to Be Human 4) Shaykh Omar Abboud Director, Institute for Interreligious Dialogue, Argentina 5) Tarek Elgawhary, Ph.D. President, Coexist Foundation Presenter: Integral Human Development 6) Ismail Alatas, Ph.D. Assistant professor, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, New York University, New York City, New York, USA 7) Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, Ph.D.

2 2 8) Walead Mosaad, Ph.D. Director of Muslim Student Life, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA Presenter: Obstacles and Opportunities to Integral Human Development 9) Ali Ataie, Ph.D. 10) Shaykh Faraz Khan 11) Eiyad Al-Kutubi, Ph.D. The six Muslim observers were as follows: 1) Mr. Lutfi H. Asfour Director of the Office of HRH Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad 2) Mr. Nabil Al Saheb Assistant director, Royal Aal al-bayt Institute for Islamic Thought 3) Mark Delp, Ph.D. Dean of faculty, Zaytuna College, Berkeley, California, USA 4) Rev. Francisco Nahoe, O.F.M. Conv. 5) Munir Jiwa, Ph.D. Founding director, Center for Islamic Studies, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California, USA 6) Aisha Subhani, M.D. Member, board of trustees, Zaytuna College, Berkeley, California, USA The eleven Catholic participants were as follows: 1) Monsignor Khaled Akasheh Bureau Chief for Islam, Vatican City, PCID 2) Youssef Kamal El-Hage, Ph.D. Professor, Notre Dame University Louaize, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon Presenter: What Does it Mean to be Human? 3) Reverend Dr. Mohan Doss, S.V.D. Dean of theology, JDV, Pontifical Institute of Philosophy and Religion, Pune, India Presenter: Integral Human Development

3 3 4) Flaminia Giovanelli, Ph.D. Under-secretary, Dicastery for the Service of Human Integral Development, Vatican City Presenter: Obstacles and Opportunities to Integral Human Development 5) Most Reverend Felix A. Machado Bishop of Vasai, Mumbai, India 6) Most Reverend Michael Charles Barber, S.I. Bishop of Oakland, Oakland, California, USA 7) Most Reverend James Massa Auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA 8) Reverend Joseph Komakoma Secretary general and representative, Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Accra, Ghana 9) Reverend Andrea Pacini, Ph.D. Representative, Council of European Bishops Conferences (CCEE), Torino, Italy 10) Prof. Paolo G. Carozza Director, Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies; professor of law and concurrent professor of political science, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, USA 11) Monsignor Labib Copti Priest, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, San Francisco, California, USA. The six Catholic observers were as follows: 1) Reverend Russel Murray, OFM, Ph.D. General animator for evangelization, General Curia of Franciscan Friars, Rome, Italy 2) Reverend Kevin O Brien, S.J., Ph.D. Dean and professor, Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University, Berkeley Campus, California, USA. 3) Reverend Bernard Poggi Priest, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Berkeley, California, USA 4) Sister Marianne Farina, CSC, Ph.D. Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Berkeley, California, USA 5) Giulia Nembrini, B.A., M.A. Member of Communion and Liberation, USA 6) Anh Q. Tran, S.J.

4 4 Assistant professor of historical and systematic theology, Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University, Berkeley Campus, California, USA The Catholic and Muslim scholars presented papers, after which the participants were pleased to note that there were significant convergences between their respective traditions. Such convergences give reason for hope, not only to Christians and Muslims, but to all, that it is possible to have a meaningful collaboration for the promotion of integral human development. After sharing viewpoints, ideas, and concerns, the participants agreed on the following points: 1) Christianity and Islam both assert that God created humanity and placed it at the very summit of creation so that humans may use nature wisely and serve as stewards of the earth, always being grateful for the resources gifted by Almighty God for all generations. 2) God endowed every human being with inalienable dignity, from which we derive our fundamental human rights and that we institute governments to preserve and protect. 3) We assert the dignity and value of all human beings, irrespective of their race, gender, religion, or social status, and we categorically condemn all attempts to stereotype any group or to attribute collective guilt to any people for the actions of individuals or groups among them. 4) Freedom of conscience and the free exercise of religion occupy the pinnacle of the edifice of human rights, and it is our collective duty to preserve, protect, and promote such rights. 5) God, our Creator, intended the integral growth and fulfillment of every human being s God-given gifts of body, soul, intellect, and spirit. 6) Christianity and Islam have moral, intellectual, and spiritual resources that can contribute to the integral development of both individuals and communities. People of good will committed to the common good are the natural allies of believers desirous of the holistic development of persons, communities, and humanity as a whole, and share a deep concern for the preservation of the environment that sustains us. 7) As believers, we are called to do our utmost to remedy all that hinders the integral development of humanity, including erroneous interpretations or understandings of our sacred texts and faith traditions. 8) We believe that insecurity, conflicts, and the proliferation of armaments constitute grave obstacles to the realization of God s intended purpose for humanity, as well as its well-being and growth in security and peace. Hence, it is our moral obligation to denounce wars, as well as the arms trade that facilitates such acts of

5 5 aggression and diverts humanity s resources from being used for our collective flourishing. 9) Together, as people of faith, we assert that those in need of development must be enabled to fulfill their destiny, allowing them to take their rightful place as full and flourishing members of the human family, in accordance with God s will.