Ave Maria!  I hope you enjoy this article from The Arab Weekly about how the king of Jordan is seeking greater peace and harmony between Christians and Muslims in his country and worldwide.  The Muslims have joined us this year, in Jordan, in celebrating the Feast of the Annunciation.  The Catholic Church organized the event, and numerous Jordanian Muslim dignitaries and public officials attended it.

In a call for peace, love and harmony among religions, known as the Amman Message, Muslims and Christians came together to celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation in Jordan.

Organised by the Catholic Centre for Studies and Media (CCSM), under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Jamal Sarayreh, the March 25 event was hailed as a symbol of tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

“This is the first event that joins Muslims and Christians together in celebration of the Feast of the Annunciation. It aims at reasserting the deep values of the brotherly relations between Muslims and Christians in Jordan, a country of peace and understanding,” said CCSM Director Father Rif’at Bader.

“The event represents a continuation of the Amman Message, the Common Word Initiative and the World Interfaith Harmony Week. It sends a clear message to the world that religion, with its values of love, can really contribute to peacemaking and stability, as well as to the restoration of cohesion and harmony.”

The Amman Message was released by Jordanian King Abdullah II in 2004 focusing on what “Islam is and what it is not” and “what actions represent Islam and what actions do not.” King Abdullah said its goal was to “clarify to the modern world the true nature of Islam and the nature of true Islam.”

The Solemnity of the Annunciation is generally celebrated by Christians on March 25. The feast marks the Archangel Gabriel telling the Virgin Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. The feast has been celebrated since the fifth century.

The Amman celebration this year was attended by government officials, ambassadors, members of parliament, representatives from the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, the Chief Islamic Justice Department, the Iftaa Department and churches in Jordan.

Sarayreh stressed unity among Jordanians of all faiths saying: “Since its establishment, Jordan has built a country based on the values of humanity that we all share.”

Source: Jordan’s Muslims and Christians unite to celebrate Virgin Mary | Roufan Nahhas | AW

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Ave Maria!  In Egypt, high ranking Muslim government leaders joined Coptic clergy and the laity in an event honoring the Holy Family’s journey through Egypt.  This reminds me of how earlier this year, in Jordan, many Muslim government leaders joined Christian clergy at the celebration of the Feast of the Annunciation, to show solidarity and try to bring increased harmony between Christians and Muslims.

When Constantine became the Emperor of Rome, he knew a divided Christendom was against his political interest, for a divided Empire would be more unstable, so he called for the Council of Nicaea to bring unity.  The efforts of these Muslim governments to increase unity may well be motivated by a similar political interest.  In Egypt, acts of unity and solidarity like this have potential to increase peace, which of course is better for tourism, a cornerstone of the Egyptian economy.  Egypt and Jordan also are deeply involved in battling against Islamist terrorists within their own borders, and public acts showing solidarity between Christians and Muslims may help these governments to erode radical militants’ support groups.

Muslim officials’ public acts of participation in Marian Christian religious celebrations are very interesting to me, and may in part be a fruit of the prayers so many people are making for peace.

Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark celebrated on Sunday the Holy Family Journey at Virgin Mary Church in Maadi district, Southern Cairo.

The national anthem was played and documentaries featuring the Holy Family Journey in Egypt were displayed.

The event was attended by the ministers of antiquities, tourism, and culture and a raft of officials, statesmen as well as ambassadors.

In his speech, Pope Tawadros II said the Holy Family settled at the location where the Virgin Mary Monastery and church were later built by the Nile, before they continued their journey in Upper Egypt passing by Assiut and Minya.

Pope Tawadros II stressed that Egypt is beautiful for its people and monuments, praising the concert and the documentary film presented by the church.

“This is a purely Egyptian celebration, which shows the richness of the country’s history, nature and culture,” he said, expressing his happiness at raising awareness among Egyptians about the journey of the Holy Family.

Source: Pope Tawadros II marks Holy Family Journey at Virgin Mary Church – Egypt Today

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