A Anglican Church delegation visited
the Doha Center for Interfaith Dialogue
A Anglican Church delegation visited
A delegation from the Anglican Church, led by Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, visited the Doha Center for Interfaith Dialogue 19 December 2017 .
Within the cultural cooperation and interfaith dialogue activities of DICID, with various Christian churches, HE Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Naimi, Chairman of the Doha Center for Interfaith Dialogue/DICID, received a delegation from the Anglican Church.
The delegation was composed of Archbishop Michael Lewis, Archbishop of Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf; Father Bill Schwartz, Arch chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf; Father Ian Nicholson, Director General of the Anglican Center of Qatar; and a number of pastors of the Anglican Church in Qatar.
During the meeting, discussions focused on the interfaith situation in the region, religious freedom available, and restrictions on the performance of religious rituals in some regions, and concentrated on the upcoming international conference organized by the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue.
The Doha international Center for interfaith dialogue, as one of the leading institutions working in the field of interfaith dialogue in the region, is an important institution for Anglican Church to cooperation with. The Center was established, 10 years ago, and based on the conviction that Dialogue is a key factor for achieving peace and coexistence in the region and the world.
Dr. Al-Naimi welcomed the visiting delegation and gave an overview DICID’s activities, at the local and international levels, and stressed the importance of promoting dialogue culture in time where conflict and hatred among people.
Dr. Al-Naimi said : “It is important that we all work and cooperate to melt the ice with the other”, and added “There is historical accumulation and popular culture on all sides, but it is important that religious scholars, intellectuals and academics work to correct those concepts.”
Al-Naimi stressed that Qatar is a land of love and coexistence, where live together people from all races and religions, without harassment and under a law that protects everyone, and the Qatari citizen has been always open to the other since ancient times.
At the end of his speech, Dr. Ibrahim Al Naimi invited the visiting delegation and the Anglican Church to participate in the 13th Conference of Interfaith Dialogue, to be organized by the Center, next February, on the theme of “ Human Rights in Religions”.
Bishop Michael Lewis, Archbishop of Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, praised the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue for its important role and stressed that dialogue is a necessity among people of different faiths.
He also spoke about the role and activities of the Anglican Church in Iraq, Yemen, and Iran. The Archbishop said that although the number of Christians was less than in the past, he noted the improvement in their conditions in recent times and in Iraq in particular, which in return affects positively in the situation of Christians in the whole region.