Cardinal Cristóbal Lopez Romero, who commended His Majesty the King’s far-sighted leadership in matters of dialogue between the three Abrahamic religions, stressed, in an interview with MAP, that the Kingdom, a country where religious tolerance and respect for the values of peace and living together prevail, sets itself up as a model for other countries.
The Archbishop of Rabat hailed, in this regard, the Kingdom’s contribution to the promotion of interreligious dialogue, particularly between Muslims and Christians, and the creation of an environment conducive to coexistence where the spirit of friendship and fraternity prevails, believing that it is “a very positive characteristic that gives us the possibility of living in peace and harmony here in this land of Morocco”.
Cardinal Cristobal Lopez Romero recalled the speech delivered by His Majesty the King during the official reception ceremony that the Sovereign kindly granted, on March 30, 2019, to His Holiness Pope Francis, at the esplanade of the Hassan Mosque in Rabat, on the occasion of the historic visit of the Pope to the Kingdom.
He recalled that in this speech, HM the King had underlined that “the three Abrahamic religions were not created to be tolerant of one another out of some unavoidable fate, or out of courtesy to one another. The reason they exist is to open up to one another and to know one another, so as to do one another good”.
Referring to the symbolic presence of representatives of the three religions during the Iftar meals of Ramadan, and its contribution to the consecration of this interreligious dialogue, the Archbishop of Rabat stressed that the month of Ramadan is an opportunity to increase meetings and forge friendships.
“During this month, Muslims celebrate their religious rituals in an atmosphere that is characterized by a spirit of brotherhood and affection,” he noted.
Thus, this blessed month of Ramadan is an auspicious occasion to promote dialogue, coexistence and openness, and nurture a sense of knowledge and convergence, he pointed out.
Regarding the bases and foundations on which interreligious dialogue is built, Mr. Lopez Romero explained that these foundations manifest themselves “essentially in global brotherhood (..)”, considering that “dialogue stems from the principle that we are all equal, and no one is superior to the other, whereas we are all brothers in humanity, and the world is our shelter”.
He also underlined the need to lay the foundations for a dialogue between all followers of other religions, ethnic groups and civilizations as this is the only way to spread the values of tolerance and coexistence.
Fraternity, friendship, freedom and equality among human beings are among the most important pillars on which interreligious dialogue rests, he concluded.
Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse