Catholic Cleric Says Muslim-Christian Dialogue Necessary to End Political Strife

May 28, 2004

Source: Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=reutersEdge&storyID=5291107

On May 28, 2004 Reuters reported, "Muslims and Christians need to engage in more dialogue to stop political strife in the Middle East from spreading into the West's increasingly diverse societies, a senior Roman Catholic cleric said Friday. 'September 11, the invasion of Afghanistan, the Iraq war, and the events surrounding that war, have made it more imperative to engage in dialogue,' Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald told Reuters in an interview. He added that the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict was an 'open sore' and urgently needed a solution. Fitzgerald, who heads the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, was speaking on the sidelines of a conference on Muslim-Christian dialogue in the Qatari capital Doha. The event was the latest in a series of interfaith meetings since Muslim suicide hijackers crashed four civilian jets in the United States in September 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people."