Germans see crossed signals on prayer with Muslims
Pastor Dale Morgan
Germans see crossed signals on prayer with Muslims*
By Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor
Reuters
Monday, December 11, 2006; 1:19 PM
PARIS (Reuters) - Pope Benedict may have prayed with a mufti in
Istanbul's Blue Mosque, but that doesn't mean that Catholic children in
his native Germany can follow his example when they gather for
pre-Christmas festivities at their schools.
Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne last week unexpectedly banned little
Catholics from praying with Muslim classmates just as Catholic and state
primary schools geared up for Christmas carols and Nativity plays that
Muslim pupils often attend.
Coming only days after Benedict made an unexpected gesture of
reconciliation by praying toward Mecca alongside Istanbul's Grand Mufti
Mustafa Cagrici, the ban on Catholic pupils praying with non-Christians
at these events sparked a wave of criticism.
"Especially after Benedict's trip to Turkey, it's amazing that Meisner
wants to be more Catholic than the Pope," wrote the Koelner
Stadt-Anzeiger, the main daily in the traditionally Catholic Rhineland city.
Meisner and his aides have spent the past few days explaining they have
nothing against children of all faiths getting together to sing carols
around a tree or act out the Nativity story. But they should not say any
prayer together.
Catholic children will be confused if they also say a prayer with
Muslims, who have a different view of God, they say. Benedict prayed
silently alongside a Muslim but not aloud with him, a distinction adults
can understand but children cannot.
"The image of God in non-Christian religions is not identical with the
God who is Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," Meisner said in issuing the
ban.
"So each community can only pray alone to its God. If this happens in a
mixed setting, one group has to stand by silently while the other
prays," he said.
FINE DISTINCTIONS OVERLOOKED
That is a view the Pope can support. In his years as the Vatican's
doctrinal watchdog before his election in 2005, Benedict drew clear
lines between Catholicism and other faiths and frowned when Pope John
Paul seemed to step over them.
At the Blue Mosque, Benedict stood in silent reflection while Cagrici
prayed aloud, clearly making the distinction that Meisner said children
would be too young to fathom.
These finer points have got lost in the discussion.
"Meisner is contradicting the signals the Pope has just sent out in
recent days," said Lale Akgun, parliamentary spokeswoman on Islam for
the Social Democratic Party.
The ban was "a slap in the face for all those who work for a dialogue
among religions and the successful integration of all people in our
society," said Akgun, a German of Turkish origin.
Criticism also came from Christian Democrats. "I think we now need not
less but more common points among religions," said Armin Laschet,
integration minister for North Rhine Westphalia state where Cologne is
located.
The discussion has shed light on the often overlooked fact that many
Muslim pupils join in what German schools consider to be general
cultural traditions. Some Muslim parents go along to see their children
singing carols or acting in Nativity plays.
The Association of Catholic Religion Teachers, who are meant to enforce
the ban, has openly disagreed with the cardinal and supported simple
non-denominational prayers at such events.
"We are convinced that multi-religious ceremonies that respect the
different forms of belief are an expression of a common focus on the God
of life," they said in a statement.