Islamic Catholics

"No Doubt We're In The Last Days" News

Catholics back Muslim claims against evangelical Christians

Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart's Vicar for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations has explained its support for the Islamic Council of Victoria's anti-vilification case against Catch the Fire Ministries, before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

A statement from the Archdiocese's Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission says that Episcopal Vicar Fr Peter Kenny sought to make an intervention on behalf of the Islamic Council. The Uniting Church also sought to make such an intervention. Dr Gary Bouma, an Anglican priest, appeared as an expert witness on behalf of the Islamic Council.

Fr Pat McInerney, a Columban priest from Sydney, also appeared as an expert witness on behalf of the Islamic Council.

In response to questions from Catholics and other Christians about why Christian witnesses were appearing in court supporting non-Christians against another Christian group, the Archdiocesan Commission said that it believed that Muslims in Victoria had indeed been vilified by the activities of Catch the Fire Ministries. The opinion was justified on the basis of the transcript of the Seminar and the newsletter and website articles that were at the centre of the case.

"We wished to show our respect in the face of possible vilification, in accordance with 'with the official policy of the universal Catholic Church' which . . . urges [Catholics] to 'acknowledge, preserve, and encourage the spiritual and moral truths found among [Muslims], also their social life and culture'".

Last week the Commission issued a Position Statement following the intervension. It explains why some people oppose anti-vilification laws, why dialogue is a "most appropriate form of discourse about religion", why Christians should not find themselves in the breech of anti-vilification laws, and why the Catholic Church sought to make the intervention (Catholic News, Australia, March 22, 2005).

[TBC: Once inconceivable, the links between Islam and Catholicism continue to grow as they come together to resist their common enemy -- biblical Christianity.]