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Imam-Priest Dialogues in the Philippines Produce Impressive Results |
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Written by Marites Africa and Global Staff
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Tuesday, 06 November 2007 |
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Page 1 of 3 The Peacemaker’s Circle in Metro Manila Philippines has been working
tirelessly on local efforts to end the religiously motivated conflicts
in their part of the region and has succeeded in bringing Priests and
Imams together, not only to talk to each other and make plans for
establishing peace, but also to relate with each other on unexpected
levels. This is a large, inspiring, and hope-filled step towards ending
the violence that has been raging there for decades.
Though this conflict is primarily centered in Mindanao, it is not only affecting the lives of people in that southern region, it is also affecting the wellbeing of all Filipinos. Many Christians and Muslims have fled their southern homeland to seek better lives for themselves and their families elsewhere in the country. Many have settled in Metro Manila.
Says Marites Africa, a member of URI and one of the leading contributors to the efforts of the Peacemakers’ Circle, “Not many Filipinos are aware of the fact that there are now over 1.5 million Muslims and over 104 mosques in Metro Manila, and that wherever there are mosques there are thriving Muslim communities. Many of the mosques are adjacent to or are in the vicinity of Catholic parishes. In view of this, we at the Peacemakers' Circle deem it of urgent importance to work where we are in helping to heal the wounds of our people that are being aggravated by the raging conflict in Mindanao. I believe that we do not have to be in Mindanao to help the people of Mindanao. There is a lot that we can do here where we are.”
She was right.
The Peacemakers Circle, in conjunction with the Imam Council of the Philippines, the U.P. Institute of Islamic Studies, and the Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines, with the support of the Australian Embassy's Strengthening Grassroots Interfaith Dialogue and Understanding (SGIDU) Program, conducted an IMAM-PRIEST DIALOGUE Training Workshop-Seminar, a relationship-building program designed to prepare Muslim imams and Catholic priests in Metro Manila for Muslim-Christian dialogue and collaborative work in their respective grassroots communities. The program was aimed to help the participants undergo two progressive levels of preparation for and engagement in Muslim-Christian Dialogue. These were intra-faith dialogue and interfaith dialogue.
The first level of preparation for Imam-Priest Dialogue was Building the Foundations of Faith for Interfaith Dialogue. About fifty imams and priests from various Muslim communities and Catholic dioceses and seminaries in Metro Manila participated in a three-day series of training workshops that were conducted separately for the two groups of religious leaders. The Intra-Imam training was held at the Salam Hall of the University of the Philippines' Institute of Islamic Studies on September 25, October 2 and 29; while the Intra-Priest training was held at the San Carlos Minor Seminary on September 27, October 4 and 11. The separate training workshops for the imams and priests were deemed necessary to the process of preparing these two groups of religious leaders for dialogue with one another.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 25 November 2007 )
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