Bologna, 23 Jan. (AKI) – In an unprecedented initiative to improve tense relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Muslim community in Italy’s northern city of Bologna, Catholic priests are going to visit Muslims during Easter blessings of the home as a sign of detente. The initiative was promoted by the archbishop of Bologna, Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, after Islamists were enraged by statements of his deputy, auxiliary bishop and general vicar Ernesto Vecchi about an "Islamisation strategy" carried out by Muslims in mainly Catholic Italy through kebab restaurants, phone call centres and shops, Turin-daily La Stampa reported on Tuesday.
"Muslims call God with 99 names except the right one, father," Vecchi had also said.
The Bologna diocese will thus try to improve relations with the Islamic community with this new initiative.
"The visit of the priest also means to be an offer of good wishes," Caffarra, who was appointed archbishop of Bologna in 2003 and is slated as a potential successor of Camillo Ruini to head the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), was quoted as saying by La Stampa.
His predecessor, Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, made headlines when he criticized Muslim immigrants and called on authorities to favour Christian immigration because "they integrate better in our society."
Perhaps this a prudential response, too bad it isn’t specifically for evangelization. After reading Bishop Vicci’s comment I did wonder about the 99 names for God that Muslims used and so I checked out this Wikipedia article that lists them all and the names are really attributes of God most of which Christians can certainly agree with. Interestingly the 100th name for God is suppose to be hidden – maybe that one is Father.
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Muslims have no concept of God as Father much like pre-Christian Jews. In fact, I’ve been told they find it pretty offensive. I haven’t had many dealings with Muslims myself though.
One Muslim friend of mine told me once that the reason he could not accept Christianity was that it was “utterly inconceivable” to him that God, who is all-powerful, could, or would , stoop to the extent of becoming Man.
Yours in Christ,
Innocent
Who knows, offering good wishes just might be a better means of evangelizing Bolognese Muslims than offering literature.
Innocent, its been said by some that the same fact was part of the reason why Lucifer fell. That in his vanity, he could not comprehend why God would take a lowly, limited human nature instead of that of a glorious angel. I suppose it was the same to satan as it to us when the Lord appears before us as mere unleavened bread.
The 100th name of God, only the camels know and they’re not talking.
“the 100th name for God is supposed to be hidden- maybe that one is Father.”
Very GK Chesterton-esque. Perhaps in a more civilized age the philosophy and theology of Christendom would have been a power evangelical tool. As is, the audacity to call God ‘abba,’ is enough to get you killed in some corners of the world. Then again, true martyrs (that is, those killed for their faith, rather than those that destroy themselves and kill others in the name of ‘faith’) have a remarkable way of converting their society as the Church Victorious marches.