VATICAN CITY (CNS) Pope Benedict XVI met with members of the Islamic-Catholic Liaison Committee in a private audience at the Vatican on June 11. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, president and secretary, respectively, of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, also were at the audience.
The committee was meeting in Rome June 11-13 to discuss the theme "Christians and Muslims: God’s Witnesses of Justice, Peace and Compassion in a World That Suffers From Violence."
The joint committee meets regularly and was created in 1995 by Vatican and Muslim representatives as a way to promote mutual understanding, strengthen religious values and contribute to peace and justice.
It includes representatives from major international Islamic organizations, including the Saudi-based International Islamic Forum for Dialogue, the Muslim World League and the World Muslim Conference.