This week Saint George's College has been hosting 14 Christian and Muslim religious leaders for a conference aimed at creating greater understanding between the two faith traditions. 13 of the 14 are from the UK, and 6 are Muslim. Bishop Richard Cheetham has called the group together and is leading the development of the dialogue. We've heard from Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders and scholars as we have visited sites holy to the three faith traditions. The heart of the dialogue has been focused on the Muslim-Christian interface within the Abrahamic traditions. Yesterday we visited the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth--on the feast of the annunciation! There we read the account of the annunciation as found in Luke's Gospel. Last night we sort of got down the the "nitty-gritty" as we heard a reading from the Koran about the birth of Jesus. The heart of the story is similar enough for Christians to recognize it, but the last few verses turn the story a little side-wise as they become a intentional correction to the Christian understanding that Jesus is indeed the Son of God. This started the conversation!
I'm very happy to say that the conversation was completely respectful on both sides, and that the group seems to genuinely have a great deal of affection and respect for everyone who has been brave enough to come here to this focal point of so much religious strife--Jerusalem. I think the honesty and openness of this conference is a very hopeful sign of what can be done to promote understanding and peace in our world.
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