Statements by Father Thomas Michel, Expert on Dialogue with Islam
ROME, MAR 21 (ZENIT.org).- «The Pope's trip will be a great success,» according to the Jesuit in charge of Inter-Religious Dialogue for his order. Fr. Thomas Michel previously worked for many years in the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue in the Vatican.
-- Fr. Thomas Michel: The Pope's visit has no shadows. He is not going as a political leader to talk and negotiate, but as a pilgrim. This does not mean that his trip will not be valuable for the peace process in the Middle East; on the contrary, it reinforces the hope that with this visit the Holy Father will be able to improve relations among the different religious creeds professed by the people. The people who live there are sick and tired of so many years of war. Palestinians and Jews want peace, but at the same time, they fear one another. In this context, the Bishop of Rome's visit is very important. The respect he shows for both religious confessions, Judaism and Islam, could change relations between the peoples.
-- ZENIT: Some critical voices say the Pope is weak, that he will be criticized or manipulated...
-- Fr. Michel: I believe exactly the opposite. It is true that the Pope is elderly and sick, but everyone likes him, even those who never wanted him. John Paul II enjoys more popularity than ever, as the respect with which he treats everyone is obvious, especially to non-Christians.
Many Muslims and Jews see the Pope as a wise and holy person, not as a man of power. At the beginning of his pontificate, some said that he was an overbearing religious leader, with a desire to expand. After all these years of his pontificate, they say he is a holy person and how pleased they are to be by his side.
-- ZENIT: Paradoxically, there seem to be more protests by ultra-Orthodox Jews than Muslims.
-- Fr. Michel: The relation of the Church with the Arab world has never never very bad. Now, after the Pope's visit to Egypt, and after the two days he has spent in Jordan, everything seems to be going better. As regards Israel, according to my information and according to polls that have been carried out in the country, the greater part of the people look with favor on the Pope's visit.
-- ZENIT: The situation of Christians in the Holy Land is increasingly worsening; Catholics are disappearing. They flee from these places because of the lack of opportunities, in spite of progress in the field of dialogue among the religions.
-- Fr. Michel: This is an old phenomenon. The Christians began to leave Palestine as early as the 30s, at the time of British rule. Christians left in greater numbers than Muslims. This exodus has continued following the creation of the State of Israel. For Christians, it isn't at all easy to live in the Holy Land, and people cannot be forced to live as if in a prison. In order to change this situation, there must be economic development and religious liberty. In the case of Israel, it is necessary to guarantee the liberty of minorities, and the same is true in the case of the Territories under the Palestinian Authority. If they are not given the guarantees to live in freedom in Israel or Palestine, the Christians will continue their exodus.
-- ZENIT: At what stage is the dialogue between Christians and Muslims?
-- Fr. Michel: The relations between Christians and Muslims vary according to countries and change with generations. The Pope's apostolate consists in creating good relations, and in all his trips, with few exceptions, he has a good response. For example, in Indonesia (the country with the largest number of Muslims in the world), there is a government committed to the promotion of these relations, and the President wants to dialogue with Christians. The head of state of Bangladesh is also very open. Relations with Jordan are excellent. In Oman, the government has generously offered territories and has paid for the construction of 5 parishes. In Morocco, the situation is also good. In Libya, the leaders of the Church have said that they are pleased with their dialogue with the government.
In 1986, when the Pope invited religious leaders to pray in Assisi, 3 Muslims came. Last year, however, during the inter-religious meeting that was held in the Vatican, there were more than 200 Muslim leaders. We can believe, therefore, that altogether the process of the dialogue is moving positively.
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