Catholics and Muslims in Canada: Believers and Citizens in Society

Friday, February 3, 2017

A pamphlet to help Canadian Catholics better understand their Muslim neighbours is available from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB). Published through the CCCB Episcopal Commission for Christian Unity, Religious Relations with the Jews, and Interfaith Dialogue, the resource is entitled Catholics and Muslims in Canada : Believers and Citizens in Society, and which is part of a CCCB series of resources, A Church in Dialogue.

The first part of the resource presents the origins of Islam, its main currents today, and its similarities with and differences from Christianity. The second part provides an overview of the history and present state of interreligious dialogue between Catholics and Muslims, both at the national and international levels, concluding with some suggestions on how everyone can contribute to such dialogues.

Many local Catholic and Muslim dialogues take place throughout dioceses across Canada, including especially the archdioceses of Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto. In 2008, the Episcopal Commission issued a response to “A Common Word Between Us and You”, while an imam and a Muslim woman have addressed the Bishops of Canada at past meetings of their annual Plenary Assembly. The Commission’s current priority is a series of conversations with the Canadian Council of Imams. The CCCB and the Canadian Council of Churches are founding members of the National Christian-Muslim Liaison Committee which began in 1984.

The Catholics and Muslims in Canada: Believers and Citizens in Society is available on the CCCB website, while printed copies can be ordered from CCCB Publications at 1-800-769-1147 or online at www.cccbpublications.ca.