Fr. Angelo Romano, who is a member of the Community of Sant'Egidio and Rector of the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island, comments on Pope Francis' prayer request for November at Tv2000 studio: we need to pray for dialogue and reconciliation that must emerge in the Middle East where communities of the three monotheistic religions live together.
New ways must be found for coexistence: the meaning of coexistence is not to ignore each other, but it is to "live with" or "live together." Fr. Angelo Romano explained that "the Document on Human Fraternity is in the idea of working together for the common good." He was referring to the document that was signed by the Pope and Al Tayyb (the grand imam of Al Azhar). It occurred last February. The trip was also marked by the embrace of peace between the two religious leaders, which is a sign of John Paul II's vision: religions that are praying for peace and each other.
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People, who have lived and still live in the Middle East, have shown the capability of dialogue and reconciliation. For instance, Father Mourad, who was kidnapped by Isis, somehow managed to convince the kidnappers to release him and his parishioners because they saw him helpless, and assiduous in prayer. They had learned that he had convinced the believers of his parish to not get involved in the conflict. Moreover, the men of dialogue were two dear friends of the Community of Sant'Egidio: Mar Gregorios Ibrahim, a Syrian Orthodox bishop, and Paul Yazigi, a Greek Orthodox bishop. They are both from Aleppo and they were kidnapped in Syria. There is no news about them.
In the face of conflict, the choice of dialogue is always possible. Prayer for the Middle East, together with the closeness of the people from those lands, leads to the choice of coexistence. It is even a daily experience in European cities, where people of different denominations live together.
