Archbishop of Canterbury welcomes Shia theologians to Lambeth Palace
[Lambeth Palace] The Archbishop of Canterbury has welcomed a group of Shia theologians to Lambeth Palace at the culmination of three days of dialogue with Christian theologians, hosted by Harris Manchester College, Oxford and the British Council.
Expressing his appreciation for this dialogue, Archbishop Justin Welby said:
“At a time of increasing fear and division in the world, it is ever more important that people of faith, Christians and Muslims, come together to work towards the common good for the betterment of all.
“As Anglicanism has its roots in the United Kingdom, and Shi’ism in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the former Persian Empire, I recognise that there is great potential for our faith to act as a bridge between our faith communities and the countries in which they are based.”
________________________________________________________________
At a time of mutual tension and suspicion between different religious traditions, any meeting between us that will open up ways of communication at a theological level must be welcomed.
This important initiative of the Archbishop of Canterbury, ++Justin Welby, to welcome a group of Shia theologians to Lambeth Palace, can only help further a situation of mutual understanding between our Christian and Muslim communities – especially in the U.K., which has a multi-cultural milieu where people need to peacefully co-exist in this era of confrontational international religious tendencies that seek to divide, rather thasn unite, people on the basis of their spirituality.
Father Ron Smith, Chridstchurch, New Zealand
Kiwianglo's Blog 