Vatican Seeks Muslim Aid in Protecting Values

In a message marking the approaching end of Ramadan, the Vatican has invited Muslims to join Roman Catholics in an effort to “protect and promote” human values threatened by technological change.

Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, issued the invitation in what he said was “a sign of esteem and friendship on the part of the Catholic Church” as Muslims complete a month of dawn-to-dusk fasting. Ramadan ends Dec. 16 or 17, depending on the sighting of the new moon.

Although he did not refer to the current terrorism crisis, the cardinal’s warm tone reflected the church’s effort, led by Pope John Paul II, to deny that the acts of Muslim extremists are linked to true belief in Islam.

Considering present-day challenges to human values, the cardinal said, “We are living in an era of technology which touches all spheres of activity: transport, communications, information, medicine, genetics, etc.”

“What can we do, Christians and Muslims, together with the believers belonging to other religions and other people of goodwill, to ensure that we make good use of these new means at our disposal?” he asked. “Can we not work together to protect the most important human values, which are threatened by a world in continual transformation?”

The cardinal urged dialogue at the local, regional, national and international levels aimed at collaboration between believers on “the ethical dimensions of new discoveries.”