TUNISIA: CATHOLIC BISHOPS URGE TALKS WITH MUSLIMS

CISA: Tunisia Catholic bishops urge dialogue with Muslims

Catholic Information Service for Africa

TUNIS, Tunisia (CISA) -Dialogue between Christians and Muslims and the drama of increased migration from sub-Saharan Africa were among key topics discussed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of North Africa (CERNA) here.

A statement issued at the end of the Oct. 26-29 meeting said "the bishops realize their responsibility to foster relations between the Muslim world and the universal church at times of sad misunderstandings."

The bishops of the largely Muslim North African country also expressed there commitment to share with the churches of other regions of the world their experience of dialoguing with Muslims, the Fides news service reported.

In particular, the bishops, inviting Catholic communities to understand that the Muslim world is different, said that it is urgent to realize that "we live in a pluralist world where we must learn to live together since this is vital for humanity's peace."

The bishops also addressed the role of lay Catholics in the small Christian communities and the "difficult question of the continuity of the Christian presence in places where there is no direct pastoral care; this poses a problem of renewal of persons and their formation."

They expressed concern over the continual flow of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. The bishops thanked the Catholic relief agency Caritas Internationalis and other aid organizations for assisting migrants.

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1) Tunisia Catholic bishops urge dialogue with Muslims