A Roman Catholic bishop and a Church of Ireland bishop have told the Arab League that the war in Iraq did not have the support or sanction of the main Christian churches. They were on an inter-faith visit to Egypt.
In discussions with Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Abul Gheit, they expressed disapproval of the notion that there is a "clash of civilizations", either between the Middle East and the Western world, or between Christians and Muslims.
The two Irish bishops, together with an Anglican bishop in Egypt and the Muslim president of a committee for dialogue with the monotheistic religions, were able to agree a joint statement on the situation in Iraq.
Putting their names to the joint statement were the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill, the Catholic Bishop of Dromore, Dr John McAreavey, the Anglican Bishop of Egypt, Dr Mouneer Hanna Anis, and Sheikh Fawzy el Zefzaf
Their statement calls on the international community "to intervene to put an end to the bloody conflict that has befallen the people of Iraq"and for every effort to be made "to secure a just solution to the Palestinian conflict". It urges "the group that has kidnapped Mrs Margaret Hassan to release her", pointing out that "she has devoted her life to humanitarian work and the care of the people of Iraq ".
At a meeting with the Secretary General of the Arab League, Mr Amro Moussa, the Irish Church leaders shared their concerns about the current crises in Iraq and Palestine.
They assured Mr Moussa that the Iraq war did not have the support or sanction of the mainstream Christian Churches.
On their week-long visit, the bishops also had separate meetings with Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Patriarch Stephanos II of the Coptic Catholic Church, the papal nuncio, Monsignor Marco Dino Brogi, the Governor of Menoufia, and the British and Irish ambassadors in Cairo. Their visit was arranged as part of the partnership between CMS (Church Mission Society) Ireland and the Anglican Diocese of Egypt.
The Irish bishops spoke of the churches' role in Northern Ireland in bringing people together across religious divides. They said they had been moved by their experiences of the dialogue between the Anglican Communion and al-Azhar al-Sharif in Cairo, the principal seat of theological learning in the Sunni Muslim world.