Vatican: Mother of God unites Christianity and Islam

Pope Francis meeting with representatives of Islam. Photo: famigliacristiana.it

On February 18, a ten-week series of webinars dedicated to the dialogue between Catholicism and Islam, entitled “Mary, a Model of Faith and Life for Christianity and Islam”, was launched in Rome, organized by the Pontifical International Academy of Mariology (PAMI) in collaboration with the Islamic Cultural Center of Italy and the Grand Mosque of Rome, churchmilitant.com reports.

The subject of the webinars was the figure of the Mother of God as uniting in interreligious dialogue.

The organizer of the Islamic-Catholic dialogue at the RCC, priest Gian Matteo Rogio, said that the figure of the Mother of God allegedly corresponds to “the genetic codes of Judaism, Christianity and Islam,” therefore it can be a bridge between the religious and multicultural worlds.

“Belonging to these three religious and multicultural worlds (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), the figure of Mary itself is a constant invitation to unification, unlike those figures who lead to war, hatred and inhumanity,” he said.

At the same time, the authors of churchmilitant.com remind that according to the Islamic Hadith (the legend about the words and actions of the Prophet Muhammad) Muslims are sure that the Mother of God in Paradise should become the wife of Muhammad. This, in particular, was mentioned by the former Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs of Egypt, Dr. Salem Abdul Galil. Modern Christians hardly know about this fact, but in the Middle Ages, during the Islamic occupation, it was well known, because Muslim conquerors regularly humiliated Christians with this text.

The webinars are co-hosted by Catholics and Muslims who strive for "dialogue, knowledge and cooperation." Lectures on prayer, non-violence, repentance, fasting and citizenship will also be delivered at the webinars.

The series of webinars will end in the month of Ramadan in the conference room of the Grand Mosque of Rome.

As the UOJ previously reported, the ROC recalled 12 differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

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