Friday, October 19, 2007

Table-Fellowship among Muslim Imams, Catholic Priests and Protestant Pastors





Last night I had dinner with Muslim Imams, Protestant Pastors and fellow Catholic priests. It was held at the St. Mary's parish here in Davao City and hosted by Fr. Pete Lamata, the parish priest. Before dinner there were prayers recited by a Catholic priest, a Muslim Imam and a Protestant pastor. This is one of the activities of the Imams, Pastors and Priests Forum (IPPF) - an interfaith-ecumenical movement that seeks to carryout an ongoing dialogue of life and faith.

I was delighted to see my old friend - Ustadz Mahmod Adilao. He is a convenor of the Bishops-Ulama Forum (BUF). We first met seven years ago when we organized the Caravan for Peace during the height of the armed hostilities between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Since then we have worked together on various peace initiatives in the city.

I am convinced that an interfaith-ecumenical dialogue can progress not only in the level of discussion and prayer but also on the level of praxis - in working together for peace and development.

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