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Thursday, May 28, 1998 Published at 19:15 GMT 20:15 UK
World: Europe
Islamic and Christian leaders agree dialogue
The Vatican has tried to build bridges with Islam for several years
The Roman Catholic Church has reached a landmark agreement on promoting a dialogue between Christians and Muslims.
After four years of negotiation, the first joint Islamic-Christian committee in history has been established.
The agreement was reached between Islam's most prestigious scholarly institution, Al-Azhar University and Mosque, and the Vatican's council for inter-religious dialogue, headed by Cardinal Francis Arinze.
The Al-Azhar is the leading centre for Islam's Sunni division, which comprises 90% of the world's approximate 1 billion Muslims.
The joint committee will now work to encourage co-operation between the two religions.
Correspondents say the agreement marks a further improvement in relations between the Vatican and Islam.
Both religions were once on a collision course because of their intense competition for new converts in some parts of the world.
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Internet Links The Vatican Details about the Al-Azhar |
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