Dialogue is the answer to Islamic challenge: Cardinal Lehmann

[Guar_Fan]

The president of the German bishops’ conference, speaking to the Italian daily La Stampa , voiced his regret that “we know very little about the great cultural and technological discoveries made by Islam, about its mystique, its architecture.” He concluded that “the West has often underestimated the more valuable elements of Islam.”

Cardinal Lehmann said that engaging in serious dialogue with Islam would help to “break down quite a few prejudices.” He suggested that it would be productive to understand the differences between Muslims and Christians on matters such as human rights, the role of violence in religion, and the methods of resolving conflicts and contradictions.

The actual dialogue between Christianity and Islam is only in the beginning stages, the German cardinal remarked. He urged a concerted effort to intensify talks, rather than “lose still more previous time.”

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