MABDA Report 08/06/2014

Different faiths, same witness: How Vatican explains prayers for peace
Popes pray for peace; it is part of their ministry. And when war is raging or peace negotiations seem hopelessly bogged down, recent popes have invited leaders of other Christian traditions and other faiths to join them in prayer.

Pope Francis has put a twist on the interreligious prayer gathering by inviting political leaders, Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, "to come to the Vatican to pray together with me for peace." The event was scheduled for June 8, the day many Christians celebrate Pentecost.

http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=171338

Muslim Prayer, Adhan Enter Vatican
For the first time in history, Muslim prayer and adhan would be heard in the Vatican city after Pope Frances invited Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israel’s Shimon Perez for a peace prayer.

"This is a moment to invoke God for the gift of peace. This is a pause in politics," Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, a Church official in charge of Catholic sites in the Holy Land and a key organizer of Sunday's encounter, told Reuters on Friday, June 6.
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/473467-muslim-prayer-adhan-enter-vatican.html

Saudi-UNESCO agreement promotes dialogue

Saudi Arabia on Monday (June 2nd) ratified an agreement to promote interfaith dialogue and a culture of moderation and to support initiatives promoting such concepts, Al-Watan daily reported.

In its Monday meeting, the cabinet approved an agreement signed between the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Centre for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue and UNESCO to confirm adherence to the principle of promoting dialogue and moderation, a government statement said.

http://al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/newsbriefs/2014/06/03/newsbrief-10