NEW HAVEN, CT: Professor Dr. Miroslav Volf, founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology, Yale Divinity School, sent a letter of gratitude to all participants in the July 28-31 conference, "Loving God and Neighbor in Word and Deed: Implications for Christians and Muslims."

In his communique, Dr. Volf said in part,

«The most important thing that I have taken away from the conference—from scholarly contributions, from learned panel presentations, from formal and informal discussions, from the exchange of experiences during meals and breaks—is a deepened sense of the immense potential that the Common Word presents for mending relationships between Muslims and Christians. Devotion to the one God (rather than to any worldly cause) and love of all neighbors (rather than the pursuit of our own interests or even our own rights) is the key to peace between those who, while different, inhabit the same space. If this is true, then our most important task is to make the commitment to love God and neighbor as widespread, as deep, and as intelligent as possible in each of our communities. Armed with such a commitment, we can together tackle many difficult issues that beset our mutual relations and our common world. To do this, I believe, is one historic task facing our communities as we seek to live together in one world while remaining faithful witnesses to the faith as we have received it.»

While mentioning the many complimentary letters and e-mails he has already received regarding the nature and quality of the conference, Prof. Volf noted that it was the conference guests themselves and their behavior in the midst of a very diverse and often juxtaposed assembly, who made the real difference in the positive outcome and optimistic goals that have emerged from the deliberations. The Professor further noted that,

«Many factors contributed to making the conference a success. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that the most important factor was the character of the participants; without this, everything else would have been in vain. You made the conference what it was: your spirit, your intellect, your candor, your human warmth.»

Dr. Volf solicited reactions to the conference from the participants and expressed the desire of the Yale Center staff to learn more about local level initiatives as well as opportunities for possible joint ventures in the future.

As previously reported by the Press Service of the UAOC-Ukraine, (English Version Here) His Eminence, Metropolitan Mykhayil, UAOC Hierarch of New York & America joined international religious, civic and academic scholars and leaders in the conference sessions. Speaking of his visions for the fruitful continuation of the dialogue forged during those days, Vladyka Mykhayil commented,

«Like its impetus, the document, A Common Word Between Us and You, the conference was a history-making event. The coming together of people of such varied and at times juxtaposed backgrounds and positions would have been unimaginable just a short time ago. The Yale Conference definitely served to clarify exactly what is the thinking of those represented and therefore, to begin the move forward, in the relationship between the Islamic communities and Christians of various denominations, histories and approaches. If we wish to be honest, we will admit that, quite frankly, we are living in the "post-denominational" era. Christians, while maintaining unique and often diverging historical expressions of the faith need to be better united as a whole, in the face of the new global order. This is quite different from any sense of a "post-confessional" era, because the goal of our coming together is not to create one, united global religious institution, but rather to recognize and accept the differences that exist among the world's great religions and draw on the commonalities, the mutual hopes and the intentions that all these people of faith hold in their hearts. This for me was the most striking outcome of the conference and the strongest motivation to continue the efforts begun at Yale in the time ahead of us.»

His Eminence, Metropolitan Mykahyil believes that many doors have been opened through the relationships between people that were forged during the conference. He says that he is enthusiastic as to the good that can come from this network of human kindness and hopes that the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church will remain in the forefront of leadership in the dialogue among the world's religions. The Metropolitan concluded that, "it is so very important to continue this work of reconciliation, not only for the good of our respective groups and communities, but for the sake of the very preservation of our world - the world which God has given into our hands, to be stewards thereof."

In the photos above from the conference, Metropolitan Mykhayil is pictured along with (from left to right):
(1) HE, Dr. Sheikh Tayseer Rajab Al-Tamini, Minister of Justice of the Palestinian Territories and Head of the Palestinian Center for Religions and Civilizations Dialogue, His Excellency, Sayeedna Bishop Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan the Holy Land, HRH, Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan, Co-host of the Conference and Fr. Nabil Haddad of the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate and Director of the Jordan Interfaith Coexistence Research Center.
(2) HE, Dr. Sheikh Tayseer Rajab Al-Tamini, Minister of Justice of the Palestinian Territories and Head of the Palestinian Center for Religions and Civilizations Dialogue and the Very Rev. Archpriest Samir Al Ejilat of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.