Dialogue
The critical remarks on Islam made by Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of his Regensburg lecture on September 12, 2006 seem to lead eventually to dialogue. The Pope received last week a delegation of Shi’a clerics from the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Vatican. The inter-religious study theme tied in with the main topic of Benedict’s lecture, Faith and Reason in Christianity and Islam. The delegates agreed upon the following: 1. "Faith and reason are both gifts of God to mankind." 2. "Faith and reason do not contradict each other, but faith might in some cases be above reason, but never against it." 3. "Faith and reason are intrinsically non-violent. Neither reason nor faith should be used for violence; unfortunately, both of them have been sometimes misused to perpetrate violence. In any case, these events cannot question either reason or faith." 4. "Both sides agreed to further co-operate in order to promote genuine religiosity, in particular s...