Marriage: Roman Catholic and Sunni Muslim Perspectives (2011)

Marriage: Roman Catholic and Sunni Muslim Perspectives, Prepared by the Mid-Atlantic Dialogue of Catholics and Muslims, Co-sponsored by the Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Islamic Circle of North America

The Mid-Atlantic Dialogue of Catholics and Muslims is pleased to present this joint document, Marriage: Roman Catholic and Sunni Muslim Perspectives.  It is the fruit of our annual meeting since 1997 under the joint sponsorship of the Islamic Circle of North America and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops through its Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs. 

Starting with a preliminary meeting at the end of 1996, Catholics and Muslims from New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey have met regularly to discuss the challenges our families face when trying to live in fidelity to their religious principles. After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, this dialogue interrupted that conversation to explore the relationship between religious faith and the use of violence. This reflection resulted in the document Seven Points of Reflection on Violence, Scripture, and the History of Christian-Muslim Relations. The original work of the dialogue resumed in May, 2004.  

The document Marriage: Roman Catholic and Sunni Muslim Perspectives was produced on the basis of a long dialogue process, usually hosted by the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, New York. The two of us, Dr. Khurshid Khan of ICNA and New York and Bishop Dennis Madden, Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore, have been the co-chairmen of this dialogue through much of the work devoted to this topic.  We would both like to express our thanks to Bishop Ignatius Catanello, Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn, for his service as Catholic co-chair until 2006.  The imams, priests, and scholars who have participated in this dialogue, often at great sacrifice to their families and to the communities they serve, are also deserving of our special gratitude.

Mid-Atlantic-Dialogue-Marriage-Roman-Catholic-and-Sunni-Muslim-Perspectives-2011.pdf