WHAT HAPPENED AT THE 2015 SYNOD?
PART BB
An Urgent and Disturbing Aside (Continued)
In relations between Catholics/Christians and Muslims, the very recent meeting at the Vatican
between Pope Francis and Cairo’s Grand Imam [Muslim leader] of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb
is one of monumental importance! “The Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque and al-Azhar University, which the
Vatican spokesman [Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., Press-Secretary for the Vatican] noted, is
considered to be ‘the most authoritative theological-academic institution of Sunni Islam.’ There has
been speculation this official visit would take place since February [2016] after a Vatican delegation
visited Al-Azhar University and expressed the Holy See’s willingness to welcome the Grand Imam for
a
meeting
with
Pope
Francis.”
(Zenit
at
http://zenitenglish.cmail19.com/t/ViewEmail/d/52E4BC4CO47AE... posted by Deborah Castellano
Lubov, May 20, 2016). The fabled Mosque and the University constitute a kind of “Islamic Vatican”
for the Sunni Muslims. (Like Christianity and other world religions, Islam has a number of differing
communities. The two main communities are Sunni Islam and Shia Islam with the former being the
larger by far. Sunni Islam acknowledges the authority of the Sunna which is the body of traditional
Muslim law based on the acts and words of the Prophet Mohammed whereas Shia Islam, mainly in
Iran, regards Mohammed’s cousin Ali and his successors as the true imams. Shia [or Shiah] is
another name for the Shiites and Sunni is another name for the Sunnites.)
The Imam is the imam of Al-Azhar Mosque and the rector of the University. “He is largely
considered a moderate Sunni who has worked to prevent Islamic radicalization” (CRUX online at
www.crux.now, Ines San Martin, CRUX Vatican Correspondent, “Vatican; Pope says of get-together
with
Imam,
‘The
meeting
is
the
message’”,
May
23,
2016
at
http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2016/05/23/pope-says-of-get-together... ) “Such an encounter
between the Pope and the Imam of Al-Azhar, who many Muslims consider to be the highest authority
in Sunni Islam, Father Lombardi noted, ‘is a first’” (Lubov). The private meeting was held in the
Apostolic Palace at the Vatican on May 23, 2016 and “this is the first-time the leader of al-Azhar and
a pope have met in the Vatican, the reason why the session is being labeled ‘unprecedented’” (Ines
San Martin).
And “in February of 2015, speaking in Mecca [Saudi Arabia], the imam delivered what was
perceived as a historic message, said it was ‘urgent’ to review how Islam was being taught to avoid
the proliferation of religious extremism. Although he did not mention the Islamic terrorist organization
ISIS [Islamic State], al-Tayeb [also called el-Tayeb] did condemn ‘terrorist groups who have chosen
savage and barbaric practices.’” (Ines San Martin) Ahead of the papal meeting, the Imam stated the
meeting was going to focus on coordinated efforts between the two religions on spreading a ”culture
of dialogue, coexistence and peace between societies and peoples. “Francis had sent the invitation
to al-Tayeb last November [2015], when a representative of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious
Dialogue, French Cardinal Jean Louis Tauran, went to Egypt in an attempt to revive the relations
[between Rome and Islam]” (Ines San Martin).
This meeting is of the highest important. Just think in terms of numbers. There are about 1.3
– 1.5 billion Sunnis (80-90% of the world’s Islamic population) and 1.2 billion Catholics, by far the
largest Christian denomination. That is over 2½ billion people represented at this meeting! Secondly,
the relationship between the Vatican and al-Azhar was ruptured in 2011 when then Pope Benedict
XVI made some comments in reaction to a series of attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt which
demanded more protection for Christians there; “Al-Azhar took [these comments] as the pontiff
[politically] meddling in the internal affairs of another country” (Ines San Martin). “The fact that things
have thawed sufficiently to allow the conversation to resume is, therefore, a sign of progress. It is
1
likely related to the fact that it is hard to know what more any pontiff could have done over his first
three years to pile up ‘street cred’ [credit] in the Muslim world than Francis.” (John L. Allen, Junior,
editor of CRUX [www.cruxnow – an excellent website], “Analysis: Pope Francis has a chance to
spend
political
capital
with
Islam,”
May
23,
2016,
at
http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2016/05/23/pope-francis-has-a-chance... )
In the following
paragraphs, we will outline this.
To begin, there is the obvious fact that as an Argentinian, Francis is not associated with
Western history or foreign policy. Moreover, Francis has a history of outreach to Islam, including his
friendship with Omar Abboud, the Muslim director of the institute for Interreligious Dialogue in Buenos
Aires [Argentina]. When Francis opposed the idea of strikes on the Assad regime in Syria in
September 2013, the Grand Mufti [a Muslim legal interpreter of the law found in the Qur’an] of Syria,
Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, was so grateful he called on mosques across the country to join the
pope in prayer for peace on September 7, 2013, while Francis celebrated a penitential liturgy in Saint
Peter’s Square.
“Francis has washed the feet of Muslim inmates during Holy Thursday rituals [including
women], he has welcomed Islamic leaders to the Vatican, and recently he has become Europe’s
leading voice of compassion for Muslim refugees – including bringing three Syrian Muslim refugee
families, 12 people in all, back with him to Rome after a recent day trip to the Greek island of Lesbos
[as we have already noted]. He has also already visited five places with a majority Muslim
population: Jordan, what the Vatican recognizes as the ‘state of Palestine’ [adjacent to Israel],
Turkey, Albania, and Sarajevo [in the centre of the former Yugoslavia and now the capital of Bosnia].
For the record, Francis has yet to make even one state visit to Western Europe, the traditional cradle
of Christendom. And in a recent La Croix interview, Francis insisted ‘co-existence between Christians
and Muslims is still possible,’ and called the West to self-criticism on the way it tried to export
democracy by force to Islamic nations such as Iraq and Libya.” (ibid.)
According to the astute Vatican observer, John Allen, Francis is in a positon to encourage alAzhar and other traditional Muslim authorities to take a more aggressive stance in the struggle with
extremists and also to do more to protect Christian and other minorities in Muslim lands. He could
also use the ready-made recent “Marrakesh Declaration [which we have already encountered in Part
O of these materials which is a charter rooted in Islamic law for minority rights signed in the Morocco
meeting of January 25-27, 2016. “The declaration affirmed that for religious minorities in Muslim
communities, ‘cooperation must go beyond mutual tolerance and respect, to provide full protection for
the rights and liberties of all religious groups in a civilized manner that eschews coercion, bias and
arrogance.’ The declaration also asserted ‘that it is unconscionable to employ religion for the purpose
of aggressing upon the rights of religious minorities in Muslim countries.’” (ibid.)
In a recent news conference of the National Press Club, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of
Washington, D.C., who has been involved for decades in interfaith dialogues, especially with
Muslims, stated the Declaration is “the document I was hoping and praying for; he asked the media to
give it “legs.” By briefly looking at the Declaration here again, we can help the Cardinal a little bit to
achieve his request.
The Pope encountered the Imam for the first time at this meeting and stated “the meeting is
the message’ (very well said!). The meeting lasted 25 minutes and the two men parted with an
embrace and a double kiss (please note the closeness here with these gestures of acceptance and
inclusivity). The two men also exchanged gifts. The Vatican issued a press statement that both men
noted how significant this meeting was in terms of the Catholic-Islam dialogue. “[They] spoke mostly
about the issue of the common commitment of the authorities and faithful of great religions for peace
in the world, the rejection of violence and terrorism, the situation of Christians in the context of
conflicts and tensions in the Middle East and their protection” (ibid.)
2
What the Imam said was very interesting and powerful and bodes well for the relationship
between Islam and Catholicism. Here are some of the points he made.
 “Today I am in the heart of Europe, and I would like to make the most of my presence in this
institution, so great for Catholics – the Vatican – to launch an appeal to the entire world so that
it can unite and close ranks to confront and put an end to terrorism.”
 “This is my appeal to the world and to the free people of the world: to come to an agreement
immediately and to intervene to put an end to these rivers of blood.”
 “El-Tayeb also said that Islam has ‘nothing to do with terrorism,’ and those who kill Muslims
and Christians have misunderstood the text of Islam, either intentionally or by negligence”
(Ines San Martin, “Vatican: Imam says Muslims and Christians suffer together in Middle East,”
CRUX, May 24, 2016, at http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2016/05/24/imam-says-muslimsand...).
 “The Grand Imam also spoke about a conference organized in Al-Azhar last year [2015], after
which Muslim and Christian leaders made an appeal to not confuse terrorist organizations with
Muslims” (ibid.). All of us who are not aware of this, especially Islamophobes, really need to
hear this!
 “We said with one voice, Muslims and Christians. that we are the masters of this land and we
are partners, and each one of us has a right to this land. We have rejected forced immigration,
slavery and the trade in women in the name of Islam.”
 “The imam also said the current violence in the Middle East should not be portrayed as
‘persecution of Christians’ because the largest number of victims are Muslims, and that if
anything, the two are ‘suffering this catastrophe together’” (ibid.).
 “He called the world not to blame religions, due to the ‘deviation of some of their followers,’
because in every creed there is a deviant faction that uses religion as an excuse to kill” (ibid.)
The Imam is so right on the mark here! This is why Catholic Islamophobes are so wrong, e.g.,
if we look at the horrendous scandal of clerical/religious sexual abuse of children in our Church
and forget the Imam’s point here, what would we be saying about our own Christian
Community, the Church? Maybe this is why such a small number of the public in Western
society (according to the polls) continue to trust our priests (including myself)! This is a
humbling thought!
 “El-Tayeb also said that religious leaders have the responsibility to ‘give humanity a new
direction’ towards mercy and peace to ‘avoid the great crisis we are suffering now’” (ibid.).
“[And] this crisis, he argued, is the result of ‘the philosophies and modern social ideologies’
which have taken humanity far from religion, failing ‘to make humankind happy or to take them
far from the wars and bloodshed’” (ibid.).
 “Man/woman without religion constitutes a danger to his/her fellow man/woman, and I believe
that people now, in the 21st century, have started to look around to seek out wise guides to
lead them in the right direction.’ It is this need for religions to work together that has led to his
visit to the Vatican, the first for any Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.” (ibid.). After his historic
important meeting with the Pope, el-Tayeb stated that rivers of blood in the Middle East must
end; he also warned that if terrorism is allowed to fester, both East and West will suffer
together. Furthermore, el-Tayeb saw Francis as “a man of peace” who follows Christian
teaching, Christianity being “a religion of love and peace”; “the pontiff, he added, is also
someone who respects other religions and their followers, and also someone who ‘takes
responsibility for people in general’” (ibid.)
Some concluding comments now!
In June 2016, the Pope visits Armenia, including a memorial to the early 20th century Armenian
genocide by the Ottoman Turks. This will be a flash-point! “There is not much anyone can do about
3
the fact that [today’s] Turks will object, but perhaps el-Tayeb and other Islamic leaders [the Pope has
come to know] can help ensure that those tensions do not get spun up into another chapter in the
‘clash of civilizations’” (John L. Allen, Junior).
“El-Tayeb is precisely the sort of moderate, rational, traditional spiritual authority within Islam
who is ultimately the only hope of taking back the mantle of leadership from outfits such as al-Qaeda
and ISIS” (John L. Allen, Junior, Editor of CRUX and very astute scholarly Vatican expert, CRUX
[www.cruxnow), “Analysis: Pope Francis and the risk of ‘interfaith correctness’ with Islam.” May 25,
2016, at http://www.cruxnow.com/church/2016/05/25/pope-francis-and-the-risk... )
This meeting marks a new chapter in Catholic/Muslim relations and understanding. And “more
broadly, Francis has a chance [now] to encourage al-Azhar and other traditional Islamic authorities
towards a more aggressive stance in the struggle against extremists, and in particular to commit
themselves to the protection of Christians and other minorities in Islamic lands” (Allen, “Analysis:
Pope Francis has a chance to spend capital with Islam,” slightly adapted), as we have already seen
above, but here we have changed the notion slightly to have it fit as a concluding important statement
and as a statement pointing to the future. Francis can now claim to be a friend of Islam.
Today it makes no sense for Catholics to encounter Islam in any other way than in the way
Pope Francis, a friend of Islam, does with today’s Catholic reading of “the signs of the times” (à la
Vatican II). Islamophobia has absolutely no place in this and so it is rightly rejected among Catholics
– it has no place in anything having to do with the Catholic Church of today!
May the Holy Spirit continue to be with Muslim Imams like el-Tayeb and with Catholics like
Pope Francis and his true followers. Amen.
Please pray for a more grace-full approach, encounter, and dynamics on the part of Catholics
regarding Muslims and Islam; if we need to pray because we have some Islamophobia within us, let
us pray for the grace of conversion!
TO BE CONTINUED
Father Fred Scinto, C.R.,
Resurrection Ministries,
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
(fscinto@rogers.com)
(519-885-4370 or toll free 1-877-242-7935)
4