Catholic News | Priests Say 'Iftar' Means More Than Sharing Meal

Home

Catholic News

RSS Feeds

Daily Features

St. Anthony Messenger

Books

Catholic e-Greetings

Parish Newsletters/Services

Free E-NewslettersSaint of the DayFriar Jack's E-spirationsCatholic SAMPlerCatholic GreetingsMore e-newsletters

Sign-up for a FREE E-Newsletters From St. Anthony Messenger Press
Free e-mail newsletters for Catholics about spirituality, Catholic e-cards, Catholic saints, free Catholic product samples, Catholic catechetics and Catholics on the Internet.

Enter your email address:

Enter your full name:

Saint of the Day	Catholic Greetings Premiere	Minute Meditations
Friar Jack's E-spirations	Faith Formation Update
Franciscan Radio	Catholic Sampler

Minute Meditations
Peaceful, spiritual reflection that comes to your inbox at no cost. Drawing upon short, inspired thoughts from the popular books and periodicals of St. Anthony Messenger Press, the online edition of Minute Meditations brings directly to you a chance to take a moment from the daily hurry and worry to focus on the place of God in your life. Sign up!

Franciscan Radio
A radio ministry of the U.S. Bishops' Catholic Communication Campaign and the Franciscans, designed to help Catholics know their faith and grow in their faith, American Catholic Radio airs weekly throughout the country on Catholic radio stations. It also can be found at www.FranciscanRadio.org. Our bi-weekly e-newsletter highlights content from coming shows, two weeks out. Host Father Greg Friedman discusses his topics in his blog and alerts listeners and radio station staff to future projects. The e-newsletter is free and comes to your inbox every other week. Sign up!

Faith Formation Update
Help plan your religious-education and RCIA classes with our monthly free e-newsletter aimed at religious educators. Timed to work within the liturgical calendar, this newsletter will bring you ideas gleaned from experienced teachers. Sign up!

Web Catholic
Improve your Web ministry with this free monthly e-newsletter exploring how Catholics use the Internet. Webmasters and communications professionals can keep up with what's new on the Web for Catholics and learn from their colleagues whose sites are featured. View past "Sites of the Month."

top catholic news
Priests Say 'Iftar' Means More Than Sharing Meal
By Brooke Anderson
Source: Catholic News Service
Published: Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Email |

Print | Size: A A | | Rate this:

No rating

SIDON, Lebanon—Parish priests in South Lebanon said breaking the fast with Muslims during the month of Ramadan means more than sharing a meal.

For many Christians, sitting together for "iftar," the breaking of the fast each evening after sunset is a chance to get to know others in the community and learn about different customs.

"We go to a lot of iftars," said Maronite Father Elias Asmar. "When we sit down together to break the fast, we get to know each other, whereas before we might have had a vague idea about each other.

"We learn about their fasting, and they ask about our fasting," the priest said. "We also learn about their diets, their calendars and how they pray. These meals create an atmosphere for dialogue."

Maronite Father Jean-Paul Khoury, another priest at the parish in Sidon, said that "eating iftar together is important, but it's not enough."

In the Middle East, a region that is increasingly becoming an area of homogenous neighborhoods and villages—Christian, Sunni or Shiite—the best solution for peaceful coexistence is for people to live together again, said Father Khoury.

Before Lebanon's war began in 1975, there were more than 1,000 Christian families in Sidon. Today, there are fewer than 20 Christian families, most of whom belong to the Maronite Catholic Church. Most of Sidon's Christians fled during the 1980s to areas with more sizeable Christian communities, such as Beirut and its northern suburbs.

"The Christians need to return," said Father Khoury. "The civil war really affected people, and they became afraid of each other. The war is still on people's minds. What creates dialogue aren't religious foundations or organized meals. It's families and individuals."

But Father Tony Shalhoub, a native of Sidon, believes South Lebanon, particularly Sidon, is way ahead of the rest of the country in terms of religious dialogue and coexistence.

"Here, dialogue is present in daily life. Muslims and Christians live together. We don't need Ramadan for that," said Father Shalhoub. "The Christians in Sidon are different from Christians in Beirut. We're raised together."

Many people in South Lebanon seem to take pride in a rural community atmosphere between Muslims and the Christian minority.

"In the countryside, Muslims and Christians live together like brothers. We understand each other," said Melkite Father Boutros Atta Allah, a priest in Cana, another south Lebanese town that has lost most of its Christian population to migrations during wars. "Muslims want Christians to return. We're all from Cana. During the civil war, Muslims always made sure Christians had bread."

Father Atta Allah said he thinks Ramadan is a good occasion for Muslims and Christians to sit together and think about those less fortunate.

"It's not our way to be at war. We want to get to know each other," he said.
"Unfortunately, some people have known only war."

Even though he believes his hometown of Cana already has a good atmosphere of religious coexistence, he thinks everyone could do with an iftar meal.

"Eating together creates trust and respect between people," he said.

More on The Church and Interfaith Relations >>
More Top Catholic News >>

MORE NEWS SECTIONS

	Top Catholic News
	Bioethics and the Catholic Church
	Death Penalty
	Ecology and Faith
	Economic Justice
	Franciscans' 800th
	Homosexuality, Gay Marriage and the Catholic Church
	Lent/Easter 2009
	Lourdes 150th Anniversary
	Politics and The Church
	Pope Benedict XVI
	Religious Intolerance
	Respect Life
	Saints in the News
	Synod of Bishops for Africa
	Synod on Sacred Scripture
	The Church and Immigration
	The Church and Interfaith Relations
	The Church and Sexual Abuse
	The Church, Evolution and Creation
	Vocations
	War and Peace
	Year for Priests
	Year of St. Paul

American Catholic is for Catholics, all Christians and seekers. Find Roman Catholic Saints, Catholic Church Questions and Catholic News. Post Prayer Requests and send Catholic e-cards. Discover Catholic Books, Catholic Audio Books, Catholic Videos, and a leading Catholic Magazine.