Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Center for Inter-Religious Dialogue of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (Tehran, Iran) and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (Vatican) held their seventh Colloquium in Tehran from 9 – 11 November 2010. At the end of the meeting the participants agreed upon the following:
1. Believers and religious communities, based on their faith in God, have a specific role to play in society, on an equal footing with other citizens;
2. Religion has an inherent social dimension that the State has the obligation to respect; therefore, also in the interest of society, it cannot be confined to private sphere;
3. Believers are called to cooperate in the search for common good, on the basis of a sound relation between faith and reason;
4. It is necessary for Christians and Muslims as well as all believers and persons of good will, to cooperate in answering modern challenges, promoting moral values, justice and peace and protecting the family, environment and natural resources;
5. Faith, by its very nature, requires freedom. Therefore, religious freedom, as a right inherent to human dignity, must always be respected by individuals, social actors and the State. The cultural and historical background of each society which is not in contradiction with human dignity should be taken into consideration in applying this fundamental principle;
6. Education of the young generation should be based on the search for truth, spiritual values and promotion of knowledge. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 16/11/2010)
