Another quite different and increasingly important aspect of interreligious dialogue is interreligious prayer. The Office on Inter-Religious Relations (OIRR) and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue co-organised, 25-29 September 1997, at the Community of Bose, near Magnano, Italy, a theological consultation on interreligious prayer. This consultation followed a worldwide survey on the issue and a gathering in Bangalore in 1996, where the direct experiences of interreligious prayer were explored. The findings of the Bose consultation will most likely be published in another format next year. At this time one of the participants in Bose, Dr. Douglas Pratt from the University of Waikato, Aotearoa-New Zealand, shares his reflections on interreligious prayer.
A Hindu scholar, Prof. Anantanand Rambachan from St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, USA, was the key-note speaker at a Hindu-Christian consultation held in the holy city of Varanasi (Benares) in India, 23-26 October 1997. Those of us who had the privilege of journeying on the river Ganges before sunrise, will always remember these early hours of the morning. The consultation in Varanasi was a collaboration between the National Council of Churches in India and the OIRR. Prof. Rambachan's address raises some poignant, and for some, controversial issues and is reprinted here. The statement from the consultation tells the story about a consultation that took the venue of Varanasi into consideration and which listed issues for future meetings between Hindus and Christians.
This issue contains an update on events in the Christian-Muslim relationship, where the recent developments in dialogue between Muslims and Christians in Lebanon are particularly interesting.
In a year from now, the 8th Assembly of the World Council of Churches will be gathering in Harare, Zimbabwe, 3-14 December 1998. Twelve guests of other faiths will be invited to contribute to the life of the assembly mainly through the format chosen for this assembly, the open space or market placed called in Shona Padare.
Hans Ucko, Editor
