ALGIERS, Algeria, FEB. 6, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The demands for liberty and dignity, which have caused revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, will influence the future of Muslim-Christian dialogue, the North African bishops are affirming.
The Episcopal Conference of the North African Region (CERNA) gathered in Algiers last week to analyze “the seriousness of the events taking place at present in the Arab world, in particular in Tunisia, but also in Egypt and other countries, to make a first discernment.”
The final communiqué of the five-day meeting, which ended Wednesday, stated that in the social movements the bishops recognize “a claim for liberty and dignity, in particular on the part of the young generations of the region, which is translated as the desire that all be recognized as citizens, and responsible citizens.”
The prelates analyzed the events in the light of Benedict XVI’s message for the World Day of Peace, celebrated Jan. 1, on the theme of religious liberty and peace. They affirmed that “religious liberty is the guarantee of complete and reciprocal respect between persons.”
The final statement, signed by CERNA’s president, Archbishop Vincent Landel of Rabat, Morocco, noted: “It is translated above all in liberty of conscience, attributed to every person, the liberty to seek the truth. It implies respect of the other, of his dignity, foundation of the moral legitimacy of every social or juridical norm.”
It added, “Liberty of conscience and citizenship will undoubtedly be increasingly at the heart of the dialogue between Muslim and Christian believers who live in the Maghreb.”
The bishops explained that the Church is “at the service of essentially Muslim inhabitants of countries in which these Churches live, of their development and of their aspirations to greater dignity.”
“They stress the quality of the ties of friendship that are interwoven with the citizens of these countries, and they attest with joy to ever more numerous occasions to engage in these ties,” they noted.
Common commitment
The prelates affirmed, “Yes, the Muslim-Christian dialogue is possible, the common commitment to the service of the neediest persons, the work with associations of the civil societies of the Maghreb allow us to learn to know one another, not just tolerate each other, but also to respect and understand one another in search of the will of God.”
Archbishop Landel reported that CERNA’s bishops traveled through the snow to visit the monastery of Notre Dame de Tibhirine, the home of seven Trappist monks who were kidnapped and killed in March of 1996.
The monks were recognized for their courage in staying with the people during a tumultuous time in that region. A new film, “Of Gods and Men,” which will debut in the United States this month, recounts their story.The archbishop stated that the prelates “prayed in the chapel in which the brothers sang the Psalms and sought the will of the Lord for whom ‘there is no greater love than to give one’s life for one’s friends.'”
He added, “The film ‘Of Gods and Men’ allows many to perceive the meaning of a presence of the Church in the Maghreb.”
