Jordan Times
Friday, February 2, 2007

Set of three Holy Sources presented to Pope Benedict

AMMAN (JT) — Members of the board of trustees of the Foundation for Inter-religious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue, including HRH Prince Hassan, on Thursday presented Pope Benedict XVI with a specially produced boxed set of the three Holy Books of the monotheistic faiths: The Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Holy Koran.

The Geneva-based foundation, a private institution operating under Swiss law, was established with the aim of making a specific and positive contribution to dialogue amongst faiths and cultures.

In a statement released yesterday, the foundation said it was “honoured” that Pope Benedict, a co-founder and former board of trustees member, accepted the presentation, thus underlining “his continued commitment to a common vision of promoting understanding, tolerance and friendship among the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.”

The foundation’s trustees hail from diverse monotheistic faith backgrounds.

“In our rapidly fracturing world, the need to promote understanding and tolerance within and between the three monotheistic religions has never been greater. The work of the foundation aims to reach beyond mere tolerance of ‘the other,’ and to promote a clearer understanding of a shared moral heritage with no syncretism or proselytism,” the statement said.

The boxed set of the Three Holy Sources in their original languages was published in a limited edition of 5,000 sets.

After careful thought and study, the design of the boxed set was agreed by all board members, taking into consideration the chronological order of the Holy Sources and the reading of both Hebrew and Arabic, according to the statement.

The foundation hopes to continue its efforts at cross-religious education by preparing and publishing an analytical concordance of the shared values and standards of the Abrahamic religions. The board members hope to enhance what is universal while respecting differences.

Other activities being undertaken by the foundation include the implementation of a post-doctoral programme in the field of inter-religious and intercultural dialogue and the awarding of annual scholarships.