Comments

Communiqué from Common Word conference

At a press conference on Wednesday 15 October, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Ali Gomaa, presented the communiqué from 'A Common Word' conference, a meeting of leading Muslim and Christian clerics and scholars.

We, the Christian and Muslim leaders and scholars gathered for the Conference on A Common Word and Future Muslim-Christian Engagement from 12 to 15 October 2008AD/1429AH, give thanks to Almighty God for the opportunity to meet together and grow in mutual understanding, trust and friendship.

We wish to express our particular gratitude to the His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, for convening the conference in partnership with the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme and the Royal Aal Al-Bayt Foundation, and for hosting us at Lambeth Palace.

We are grateful too for the extraordinarily generous hospitality offered by the Colleges and University of Cambridge. We are especially appreciative of Emmanuel College's hosting our opening lectures and dinner, Jesus College for offering facilities for our plenary and group discussions and providing meals, Clare College for dinner and fine music, as well as the great number of students and staff of the Colleges who never tired of offering cheerful assistance.

We are conscious that our meeting represented the most significant gathering of international Muslim leaders ever to take place in the United Kingdom, matched by a similarly wide diversity of traditions and geographical backgrounds amongst the Christian participants. We were greatly stimulated by the opening addresses to the conference by the Archbishop and His Excellency Dr Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, and the responses to their addresses by His Eminence Dr Mustafa Ceri,
the Grand Mufti of Bosnia Herzegovina and His Beatitude Gregorios III, Melkite Greek-Catholic Patriarch of Antioch & All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem.

• Methodist School to Provide Cambodians with Pre-U Education
• Blair Launches Competition to Increase Understanding Between Religions
• Lao Authorities Threaten to Burn Expelled Christians' Shelters
• Release calls for protection of Christians in Nigeria after fatal attack
• 1st Chinese Bible Translation Since 1919 Due Fall

Finding rest in Jesus this Christmas

The seasonal gingerbread lattes and stollen cake have returned to our coffee shops and high street stores are dressed..

• Methodist School to Provide Cambodians with Pre-U Education
• 1st Chinese Bible Translation Since 1919 Due Fall
• Release calls for protection of Christians in Nigeria after fatal attack