Nostra Aetate - In Our Time

42 NOSTRA AETATE AND THE RELIGIONS OF ABRAHAM participation of 2,450 bishops from all over the world. Nostra Aetate cancelled – and turned the page on – all previous religious laws made against the bishops of Constantinople which led, in 1054, to the great divide between the two churches of Rome and Istanbul. The ecumenical dialogue initiated by Nostra Aetate reconciled the Evangelical and Orthodox churches. It also opened the door of the Church to the secularist Christians to participate in its activities. And now Pope Francis is opening more doors. Nostra Aetate withdrew the Church’s old verdict that condemns all Jews until the end of time for the crucifix- ion of Jesus Christ. So this document has become the Magna Carta of Christian-Jewish relations. Nostra Aetate declared that Muslims are believers in one God and that Muslims respect Jesus and His mother The Virgin Mary. And, although they don’t believe in Him as God, they do believe that he is a prophet; that God will judge between all peoples on the Day After; and that God is to be worshipped especially by prayer, charity and fasting. Hence, “differences with them is a sin.” After Vatican II and on the basis of these new Christian Principles stated in Nostra Aetate , Popes John VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have addressed Muslims as “brothers”. These are the lessons that Muslims in the 21st century are supposed to learn from. But we cannot learn if we do not realise that we need to learn. And we cannot realise the need to learn if we do not feel that we are wrong somewhere. And we cannot have the feeling of being wrong if we are not courageous enough to practice self-criticism. After that, we need to be exceptionally courageous to admit that we have to learn from one another’s experiences, especially if that other is an out- sider to our spiritual and doctrinal system. Now before suggesting how we can learn, let me underline the following important point: Contrary to what extremists like ISIS are doing in the Middle East, and to the Middle East, Christians are described in the Holy Koran as believers in God, and are nearest to Muslims. Their clergy is praised in the Koran for being humble, although in principle there is no clergy in Islam itself ( الرهبانية ) as prophet Muhammad clearly declared. That is why there is no religious state in Islam, run by the clergy who are not there – or who are supposed not to be there – in the first place. Now for us Muslims, to follow the example of Vatican II as stated in Nostra Aetate , we need a religious leader with the qualifications of Pope John XXIII who believes in humanity as one family and who respects and believes in all religions. I am sure that we have many possible leaders, because this is exactly what Islam teaches. After all, to be a Muslim is to believe in all messages fromGod, and in all His messengers – those who are mentioned in the Holy Koran and those who are not. To believe in Islam is also to believe in human plu- rality, and in human differences as a manifestation of the glory of God. But to my humble knowledge, I don’t know who has the moral and the religious authority that Pope John XXIII had to bring together 2,450 Muslim scholars and Imams from all over the Islamic world and to convince them to keep their meetings and discus- sions going until they come to a unified, 21st century Dr. Sammak lecturing at the Islamic Centre in Rome with the late Imam Sheikh Mohamed Mehdi- Shamsuddine, President of the Islamic Shiete Council in Lebanon