Religious leaders have stressed the importance of promoting inter-faith dialogue in order to reach a coexistent, solidary and cooperative society.

They were speaking on the sidelines of the first meeting of the Permanent Committee of the Muslim-Christian Dialogue between the Muslim Council of Elders and the Vatican, hosted by Manama today.

The meeting brought together representatives of the Muslim Council of Elders and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

In this regard, former Deputy of Al-Azhar Al Sharif, Dr. Abbas Shouman, stressed the importance of holding the meeting in the kingdom, noting that it will assert and apply the principles of inter-faith dialogue, as well as propose mechanisms to promote them.

It will also benefit from mutual values to promote dialogue and pave the way towards having coexistent societies that uphold human dignity and support development paths in all fields, he added.

Muslim Council of Elders member, Senator Dr. Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, praised the kingdom’s hosting of the first meeting of the Permanent Committee, noting that it will contribute to consolidating Islamic-Christian dialogue and rapprochement, towards achieving the interests of the entire humanity.

He indicated that the meeting of the Permanent Committee of the Muslim-Christian Dialogue is one the outcomes of the “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and west for Human Coexistence”, held in Bahrain under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in November 2022.

He affirmed that stepping up efforts and initiatives aimed at consolidating dialogue and coexistence worldwide, as well as boosting Islamic-Christian dialogue were on the agenda of the first meeting of the Permanent Committee.

Source: Bahrain News Agency