Benedict XVI made a “decisive” contribution to interreligious dialogue, proposing a dialogue of “charity in truth” that resulted in a praiseworthy initiative between Muslims and Christians.  This was the view shared today by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

The cardinal was presenting a new edition of a book Nov. 12 at the Vatican called “Il Dialogo Interreligioso nell'Insegnamento Ufficiale della Chiesa Cattolica (1963-2013)” (“Interreligious Dialogue in the Official Teaching of the Catholic Church, (1963-2013)”). The book is written in the spirit of “Nostra Aetate”, which encourages the faithful ”to recognise, safeguard and promote those spiritual and moral goods” in common with other religions, as well as “the socio-cultural values they embody”.

“In the seven years of his pontificate,” he said, “we find 188 texts regarding interreligious dialogue from Benedict XVI, compared to 591 from John Paul II during more than a quarter of a century.  Attention to this theme has been constant, indeed growing, in each pontificate,” he continued. “Benedict XVI proposed a 'dialogue of charity in truth'. A year after the Regensburg address, 38 Muslim scholars, who subsequently increased to 138 in number, wrote to the Pope in a document entitled 'A common word between us and you'.”

That initiative explained the principles of Islam and expressed hope for mutual comprehension, as well as a relationship between Islam and Christianity based on love for God and neighbour, in accordance with the teachings of Jesus. “The result of this praiseworthy initiative was the creation of the Islamic-Christian Forum, which continues to exist to this day”, the French cardinal said.