VATICAN CITY — In a joint statement delivered Thursday, the Catholic-Muslim Forum condemned acts of terrorism, oppression, and violence, affirming it is never acceptable to use religion to justify such acts. The Catholic-Muslim Forum was held Nov. 11-13 in Rome. It was established in 2008 for dialogue between the religions, and it meets every three years to harvest the fruit of more grassroots dialogue pursued between the forums. The group met on Wednesday with Pope Francis, who encouraged them to persevere in the path of interreligious dialogue and praised the common effort of the two religions in society. This year's meeting occured as an uprise of violence in the name of religion has taken place in the Middle East with the establishment in Iraq and Syria of the Islamic State, a caliphate that has persecuted all non-Sunni Muslims in its territory. The statement of the Catholic-Muslim Forum makes four points: it condemns violence in the name of religion; address the education of young people; commits to fostering interreligious ...      Read more