VATICAN CITY–The Vatican has opened a religious conference aimed at improving strained Catholic-Muslim relations.
Scholars, imams and clerics from both religions gathered at the Vatican yesterday for the three-day forum aimed at countering the effects of a speech two years ago by Pope Benedict that angered many in the Muslim world who felt the pontiff was equating Islam with violence.
The sessions, bringing together 29 scholars and clerics from each religion, wind up tomorrow, culminating in a papal audience.
A spokesperson for the Muslim delegation said both sides had agreed not to release details on the talks until the forum's conclusion.
However, the presence of an archbishop from Iraq suggests that violence targeting Christians in Iraq and other countries could be on the agenda.
The forum was set up in response to a letter written last year by 138 Muslim scholars to Christian leaders urging that Christianity and Islam build on their common belief in one God. The Vatican welcomed the letter. It has been eager to improve relations with moderate Islam since the 2006 speech, in which Benedict quoted a medieval text that characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."
The Pope later said he was "deeply sorry" over the reaction to his remarks, and that the passages he quoted did not reflect his opinion.
In their letter, the Muslim scholars, muftis and intellectuals drew parallels between Islam and Christianity and their common focus on love for God and one's neighbour.
Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, who heads the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Vatican delegation, has said tomorrow's papal audience could start a historic dialogue between the faiths.
Other Representatives in the Muslim group come from countries including the United States, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
