To Representatives of the Islamic Community

On Monday, 12 August 1985, in Yaoundé (Cameroon), the Holy Father spoke to representatives of the Muslim community, saying that, in a pluralistic society, we must ”learn to live together peacefully and constructively."

Brothers and Sisters of the Muslim religion,

I call you brothers because God, our Creator, has made us members of the same human family, and invites us to adore and obey him. God has placed us on this earth as his representatives, to faithfully care for the natural world, and to build our human societies according to his will. Muslims consider that God created man as his delegate, and he wants us to be able to act as stewards of creation, honest and trustworthy. We Christians believe, as Saint Paul said, that we are God's work, his masterpiece, that we have been created so that our actions are truly good, in conformity with the path he traced for us from the beginning (cf. Eph 2:10). Thus humanity is invested with a great dignity that can never be taken away. Every man and every woman has rights that belong to them, by reason of their very human condition, and we have the duty to exercise these rights responsibly for the good of all.

Today I recall these convictions that Christians and Muslims share, because here, in Cameroon, you are part of a pluralistic society in which Christians, Muslims and followers of traditional African religions live side by side. This is one of the great challenges for humanity today in the world: to learn to live together peacefully and constructively. We must recognize that we live in an era of polarization. Certain racial or ethnic groups, certain religious communities, as well as certain economic and political ideologies throughout the world, tend to make their point of view prevail by excluding those who do not share it, to defend their rights to the point of ignoring those of others, to reject proposals for cooperation and human fraternity.

Muslims and Christians must resist these temptations, because they do not lead humanity to "these truly good acts, in accordance with the life that God has planned for us from the beginning." For us, the true path remains that of dialogue, which has many aspects. It means, first of all, learning to know each other's faith, overcoming prejudices and misunderstandings. It means being tolerant of differences. Dialogue means reaching, despite obstacles, mutual trust, such that we can meet to talk and prepare joint projects, respecting the responsibilities and rights of each. It means engaging in concrete actions to develop our country, to work together to build a society in which the dignity of each person is recognized and respected.

We are all invited to rediscover unceasingly what is most beautiful in the traditions of African peoples. I am pleased to highlight, in particular, your African tradition of hospitality, your respect for nature as a gift from God and a sign of his goodness and presence. Your way of resolving conflicts, through dialogue and consensus, the care with which you preserve and develop family values, your joy of living that you express so beautifully in your poetry, your dances and your songs. All these traditional values ​​have their place in the modern world; indeed, they are important as correctives in a society that, otherwise, would too often become inhuman, solitary, violent and sterile. Muslim and Christian communities each have their own task to perform in order to preserve the best of what comes from the past, to integrate into it the elements of technology and science of the present that foster human dignity, and to build a harmonious and stable future.

In all this action, God's will and plan must never be forgotten. When man forgets that we are always the creatures loved by God, and when he tries to build a future without God, he cannot help but get lost. Because God is the origin and the end of our life, the one who is "closer to us than our jugular veins"; he is for us the Guide and the Master of what is right.

Today I ask you to reach out hand in hand with your Christian brothers and sisters, to follow God's ways in the service of humanity.

God's blessing be upon you all!
 

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