During his visit to the Philippines in January, Pope Francis is expected to meet with interreligious leaders in Manila.
According to GMA News, the Pope will meet with 10 leaders of non-Catholic denominations at the University of Santo Tomas.
“We tried to seek peace and unity and the Pope is promoting the ecumenical movement and another thing, interreligious dialogue,” Fr. Carlos Reyes said, who serves as the executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue.
Fr. Reyes also said that the religious have actively promoted the ecumenical movement and hope that the meeting will foster “more cooperation, mutual respect and trust among religious leaders.”
Muslim leaders have also expressed their joy at the Pope’s upcoming visit. Imam Ibrahim Moxir Alhaj, the chairman of the Imam Council of the Philippines, said that the visit will help improve ties between Christians and Muslims.
“First, what I can tell the Pope is, I hope the mutual and symbiotic nature of the relationship between Christian and Islam religions continues. Let us Filipinos unite for peace in the Philippines,” Imam Moxir said in an interview with Radio Veritas.
“I’m thankful that I will be able to see the highest leader of the Catholic religion. I’m hoping that it will also be the start for us Filipinos to actively join and participate in our programs,” he added.
