Catholic, Anglican, Sunni and Shiite leaders vowed to do all they can to combat “ugly and hideous” distortions of religion and to involve more women—often the first victims of violence—in official interreligious dialogues. Holding the third Christian-Muslim Summit in Rome on Dec. 2-4, the leaders said that while more and more women are involved in high-level dialogues, there is still much to be done, including recognizing that “women play a key role in peacebuilding.” Christianity and Islam both teach that “humanity is one family,” and religious leaders have an obligation to resist attempts to divide brothers and sisters with violence, said John Bryson Chane, the former Episcopal bishop of Washington. Bishop Chane spoke on Dec. 4 at the final, public session of the summit, which concluded with a “call to action” that also included pledges: to travel together to areas affected by severe violence as a sign to their followers that Christianity and Islam are religions of peace; to focus more attention on equipping young people to live with respect for other faiths; and to promote collaboration among Catholic, Anglican and Muslim aid agencies.
Correction: Dec. 22, 2014
An earlier version of this article incorrectly indentifed John Bryson Chane as the current Episcopal bishop of Washington. John Chane served as bishop from 2002-2011. He was succeeded in 2011 by Mariann Edgar Budde.
