The Interreligious Platform for Dialogue and Cooperation (IPDC) in the Arab World

The IPDC delegation received by Pope Leo XIV in St Peter’s Square

• Excellency Ambassador Antonio De Almeida Ribeiro, Acting Secretary General KAICIID
• Excellency Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad and Father Laurent Basanese, Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, Holy See
• Excellency Minister Hind Kabawat, Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, Syrian Arab Republic
• Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel, Metropolitan of Chalcedon, Ecumenical Patriarchate Orthodox Church
• Honourable Members of the Interreligious Platform for Dialogue and Cooperation (IPDC) in the Arab World

Allow me to greet you all with the sincerest wishes of Peace and welcome to Rome!
Al-salamu alaykum wa rahmatAllah Ta’ala wa barakatuHu wa marhaban fi Ruma!

On behalf of COREIS the Islamic Religious Community in Italy and on behalf of EULEMA the European Council of Muslim Leaders it is a great honour to share this partnership with KAICIID in welcoming this symbolic and historical steering committee meeting of the IPDC in the Arab World in the capital of Italy.

This week my khutbah in the central mosque in Milan will be dedicated to the topic of neighbourhood, being good neighbours, welcoming the neighbour and developing good relations.

Among the ayat from the holy Qur’an I will comment the verse:

wa idha sa-alaka ‘ibādī ‘anni fa inni qarībun, ujību da’wata al-ddā’i idha da’ani (II: 186).

When My servants ask thee about Me, truly I am near. I answer the call of the caller when he calls Me.

We should all together discover how to be His dear neighbours and share the holy call to serve His spiritual light from the East to the West.

KAICIID and COREIS announce the opening session of the IPDC meeting in Rome, 8-9 September 2026

Among the common challenges we need to manage between East and West there is a increasing and misleading polarization. The authentic identities of good and evil are manipulated in a fake news of propaganda, and citizens and believers are confused on what is civilization and citizenship, what is religion and spirituality in the West and in the East. The Arab world is too often portrayed in Europe as a problem linked to geopolitical crisis or to migration issues or to terrorism and Europe is facing the rise of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred with slogans against cultural diversity, against religious pluralism and against universality. In this context we need a stronger cooperation to show the authentic identity of Arab culture and richness in unity and diversity.

Europe is witnessing an intellectual crisis where citizens are losing the vision for enlightenment, and they are forgetting their nature and role as believers and servants of God’s Holy Peace and Knowledge. Some recent signs of destruction, war, violence, death and despair coming also from the Arab Region are provoking two consequences: some politicians are increasingly worried only for the economic or juridical international crisis while some other persons, citizens, believers, elders and youth are going back to think and rediscover which are the authentic universal values for humanity.

Where is the centrality of God in our lives? How can the people in the Arab Region manage to live, hope and build bridges of development and keep consistence in witnessing a sincere and deep faith in God’s Mercy and divine help? Isn’t this a very interesting example of sacredness in action for justice and love and patience and education and communication?

Members of the IPDC delegation greet Pope Leo XIV in St Peter’s Square

Few weeks ago, I was inspired by attending a meeting with Pope Leo who spoke to us about Saint Agustine and his work De Civitate Dei, the city of God. This city of God and its citizens and believers need to be defended by the atrocity and arrogance of pagans who oppose the blessed role of religion and monotheism, and they try to bring back the illusion of power of idolatry.

As religious leaders this is our service and role in the West as well as in the East: to try to dialogue and cooperate in concrete actions that can help policies develop dignity in life and in humanity helping every city to host the blessing and honour of God’s Presence. It is a relation between the Arabic verb askunu, living, and sakīna, the divine presence.

We need to live together as neighbours in the cities where His blessing is honoured!

Pope Leo XIV greets the IPDC delegation in St Peter’s Square

Thanks to KAICIID EULEMA in Bruxelles, Geneva, Strasbourg, Vienna, Warsaw and COREIS in several Italian cities we are trying to develop this model of values and virtues in European cities through interreligious dialogue and cooperation with Institutions, National Governments, Municipalities, politicians and the civil society.

And we are very interested to listen and to learn how we can engage together between Europe and the Arab world.

May Allah bless your stay and your meeting inspiring your work with good solutions for our shared future!

Imam Yahya Pallavicini