New Christian communities are on the cards in Saudi Arabia. At present, all other religions besides Wahhabite Islam are prohibited. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has recently begun a series of social reforms. They have raised the hopes of Christian communities in the Middle East. The reforms have resulted in Saudi leaders meeting representatives Read more
Interfaith dialogue shows many similarities between the three major Abrahamic faiths. Jews, Christians and Muslims share a common belief in one God, share common characters, like prophets, angels and Satan and similar codes of morality, social responsibility and accountability. They also exclude women from religious and spiritual leadership. Read more
Students at an Oxford college protested after their representatives tried to ban the Christian Union (CU) from a first year students’ fair. Balliol College’s Junior Common Room, which represents undergraduates, initially refused the CU a stall, fearing it would be “harmful” to students because of Christianity’s links with “neo-colonialism” and “homophobia”. Read more
Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday on 2 October found Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians marching together with lit candles through the streets of Bhopal in India. The interfaith celebration was organised by the Catholic Bhopal Archdiocese, based in the capital of Madhya Pradesh state. The march culminated in an inter-religious prayer gathering. The event marked the Read more
When Pope Francis and the Korean Council of Religious Leaders met in the Vatican on Saturday, he told them the world was looking for leadership from religious leaders. “…the world is looking to us; it asks us to work together and with all men and women of good will,” Francis said. The representatives came from Read more
The Catholic priest coordinating the inter-religious center for athletes at the Olympic Village is looking forward to “very successful spiritual mission”. “We hope that the center will encourage harmony and unity among different countries and among different religions,” the coordinator Father Leandro Lenin Tavares says. “We are a symbol of peace, brotherhood and the unity Read more
In a show of solidarity with their Catholic neighbours, Muslims all over France attended Mass on Sunday, five days after a murderous claimed attack on a Catholic priest in Normandy. France’s Muslim council, the CFCM, urged Muslims to show “solidarity and compassion” over Father Jacques Hamel’s murder. “We are all Catholics of France,” said Anouar Read more
Religious leaders risk fuelling extremism by pretending that all faiths are basically the same, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned. The Telegraph reported Archbishop Justin Welby saying faith leaders seemed desperate to hide behind “bland” and “anaemic” statements about what they have in common. This is instead of facing up to the “profound differences” between Read more
Nine mosques in Australia will open their doors to the public later this month in an effort to help overcome prejudices and misunderstandings. The first national mosque open day, to be held on October 25, will see non-Muslims invited to take tours of mosques and to ask questions of Islamic leaders. It will be followed Read more
A common house of worship featuring a mosque, a synagogue and a Christian church is being planned for Berlin. Berlin Rabbi Tovia Ben Chorin, Imam Kadir Sanci and Pastor Gregor Hohberg hope their dream can become a reality. The trio hope Christians, Jews and Muslims will soon study and pray together. The city has already Read more