Russian Orthodox Church to cooperate with Islamic University

Cairo, April 13, Interfax – The Russian Orthodox Church has agreed to set up a joint advisory body with the Al-Azhar Islamic Center in Egypt.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill offered to Al-Azhar chief Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb to set up a joint advisory body during his visit to the Al-Azhar University in Cairo on Monday, an Interfax-Religion correspondent said.

“We have long wanted to establish relations with your university, which is the most important center of Islamic learning in the world,” said Patriarch Kirill, adding that the Al-Azhar University is well known in Russia as “a very strong theological school.”

In today’s globalized world, which “largely shapes the future of the human civilization,” all religions are faced with challenging issues, the Patriarch said.

“Today the whole human race is divided into those who recognize the notion of sin and those who do not,” Patriarch Kirill said.

Religions are faced with multiple challenges, when the notion of sin is being eroded, he said.

For his part, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb concurred with the Patriarch, pointing to “a special Oriental nature of both Orthodox Christianity and Islam.”

“Western civilization damaged mankind, being based on worldly material interests,” he said.

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At the end of the meeting Sheikh el-Tayeb agreed to take part in an inter-religious summit due to be held in Baku on April 26-27, 2010.