Re?ection on a Common Word and the Declaration on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together in the light of Enhanced Interreligious Encounter.
In a world of diverse religious beliefs, mutual misunderstanding, lack of trust, violent-complex religious conflicts and the desire for revenge, peace- making requires significant concrete actions. Recently two documents: A Common Word and the Declaration on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, in which Islamic and Christian leaders call for greater dialogic cooperation have emerged. This is symbolic as the Catholic Church through the Second Vatican Council documents (Dignitatis Humanae of 1963 and Nostra Aetate of 1965) expressed her ardent desire to forge fraternal relationship with people of other faiths. The Church has made noteworthy strides but not without glitches. Yet, she remains resolute in getting across to people of other faith traditions through dialogue encounter; pivotal to her evangelising mission. This article examines the text of a Common Word and the Declaration on Human Fraternity for World Peace, highlighting some significant feats of the Catholic Church's dialogue engagement with Islam, articulating how such could strengthen further dialogue encounters between the Church and other religions (Islam) especially in northern Nigeria.
Keywords: