Interfaith dialogue at St Raphael's, Surbiton
Archbishop Emeritus Kevin McDonald joins Interfaith Scriptural Reasoning Group at St Raphael's, Surbiton
Archbishop Kevin McDonald, Emeritus Archbishop of Southwark, recently visited the regular Scriptural Reasoning Group at St Raphael's, Surbiton, which looks at both the Bible and the Koran with a particular theme every couple of months.
Alongside Catholic representation from the parish, there were several members of the Dialogue Society who represented Islam. A Liberal Jewish Rabbi and a congregation member were present, along with four local Anglican priests.
Archbishop Kevin was involved in both the Christian Unity Congregation and the Congregation for Other Faiths in Rome. He has written and lectured widely on Christian Unity and Interfaith Dialogue.
The Archbishop's talk made reference to two Vatican II documents: Unitatis Redintegratio and Nostra Aetate, which have formed the basis of the Catholic approach to unity of Christians and dialogue with other faiths. He also explored how many perceive other denominations and faiths in terms of "the other" and assume we must be opposed to each other. The Archbishop highlighted how this leads to misunderstanding when, with similar aims and objectives, we could act together in a troubled world.
The work of the Holy Spirit in the world as a whole was also explained by Archbishop Kevin in terms of the gifts given to those of faith and those with no faith, who bring goodness and generosity into the world.
There was time for questions, and the Archbishop's answers drew on his thoughtfulness and experience. The group also congratulated him on his twenty-fifth anniversary as a Bishop this year.
The meetings are coordinated by the Dialogue Society, a Muslim group originally from Turkey. They were drawn together by the thinking of a Muslim academic with an emphasis on dialogue to assist understanding between faiths, promote charitable work and work for peace.
Story and photo kindly provided by St Raphael's, Surbiton
