A blessed Eid

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Steinmeier
Steinmeier

At the end of Ramadan I would like to wish all people of the Muslim faith a blessed Festival of the Breaking of the Fast, a blessed Eid Fitr.

This month of fasting is a special time for the Muslim community throughout the world. Even more importance than usual is placed on solidarity, respect for all people and help for the weaker members of society. Ramadan stands for reconciliation and an understanding that transcends all borders. The message for all of us is that only when we approach one another with openness, communicate and work closely together can we overcome the crises and conflicts in the world.

Ramadan is a month of interaction. In many places people of different faiths gather for the daily meal to break the fast — also, increasingly, in Germany. However, not everyone has the opportunity to celebrate the festival as they would choose: violence and war are forcing many people to flee their homes and embark on an uncertain journey which all too often requires them to risk their lives. Our thoughts are with these people particularly at this time.

We should therefore all take the end of the month of fasting as an opportunity to work together to promote peace and tolerance. I wish you and your families a blessed festival.

Happy Eid to all

The following is a message for the month of Ramadan and ‘Id Al-Fitr’ 1437 H. / 2016 A.D. from the Vatican.

— Editor

DEAR Muslim brothers and sisters,

The month of Ramadan and ‘Id al-Fitr’ is an important religious event for Muslims around the world, focused on fasting, power and good deeds, and is esteemed by Christians, your friends and neighbours. On behalf of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and Christians all around the world, we extend best wishes for a spiritually rewarding fast, supported by good deeds, and for a joyful feast.

As is our cherished custom, we wish to share with you on this occasion some reflections in the hope of strengthening the spiritual bonds we share.

A theme that is close to the hearts of Muslims and Christians alike is mercy.

We know that Christianity and Islam both believe in a Merciful God, who shows His mercy and compassion towards all His creatures, in particular the human family. He created us out of immense love. He is merciful in caring for each of us, bestowing upon us the gifts we need for our daily life, such as food, shelter and security. God’s mercy is manifested in a particular way, however, through the pardon of our faults; hence He is the one who pardons (al-Ghâfir), but the one who pardons much and always (al-Ghafour).

To underscore the importance of mercy, His Holiness Pope Francis declared a Jubilee Year of Mercy to be celebrated from 8 December 2015 to 20 November 2016. In this regard he said: “Here … is the reason for the jubilee: because this is the time for mercy. It is the favorable time to heal wounds, a time not to be weary of meeting all those who are waiting to see and to touch with their hands the signs of the closeness of God, a time to offer everyone, everyone, the way of forgiveness and reconciliation” (“Homily”, 11 April 2015).

Your pilgrimage (hajj) to the Holy places, mainly Makkah and Madinah, is surely a special time for you to experience God’s mercy. In fact, among the well-known aspirations addressed to Muslim pilgrims is: “I wish you a blessed pilgrimage, praiseworthy efforts and the pardon of your sins”. Making a pilgrimage to obtain God’s pardon for sins, both for the living and dead, is truly a salient custom practice among believers.

We, Christians and Muslims, are called to do our best to imitate God. He, the Merciful, asks us to be merciful and compassionate towards others, especially those who are in any kind of need. So too he calls us to be forgiving of one another.

When we gaze upon humanity today, we are saddened to see so many victims of conflicts and violence — here we think in particular of the elderly, and children and women, especially those who fall prey to human trafficking and the many people who suffer from poverty, illness, natural disasters and unemployment.

We cannot close our eyes to these realities, or turn away from these sufferings. It is true that situation are often very complex and that their solution exceeds our capacities. It is vital, therefore, that all work together in assisting those in need. It is a source of great hope when we experience or hear of Muslims and Christians joining hands to help the needy. When we do join hands, we heed an important command in our respective religions and show forth God’s mercy, thus offering a more credible witness, individually and communally, to our beliefs.

May the Merciful and Almighty God help us to walk always along the path of goodness and compassion!

We join our prayerful good wishes to those of Pope Francis for abundant blessings during Ramadan and for a lasting joy of ‘Id al-Fitr.’

Happy Feast to you all!

By Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Federal Foreign Minister

 

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