King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has called for a dialogue among monotheistic religions, including Judaism. According to the AP, Abdullah said the kingdom's top clerics have given him approval to pursue his idea. He conveyed he plans to get the opinion of Muslim leaders from other countries.
"I ask representatives of all the monotheistic religions to meet with their brothers in faith," the king told delegates to a seminar on "Dialogue Among Civilisations between Japan and the Islamic World." According to SPA, the king saidÑ "If God wills it, we will then meet with our brothers from other religions, including those of the Torah and the Gospel... to come up with ways to safeguard humanity."
"We have lost sincerity, morals, fidelity and attachment to our religions and to humanity," the king said, deploring "the disintegration of the family and the rise of atheism in the world -- a frightening phenomenon that all religions must confront and vanquish."
The monarch did not say where he hoped the proposed dialogue would take place. He said he had discussed the project, which he has been mulling over for two years, with Pope Benedict XVI during his landmark visit to the Vatican late last year.
