Pope Benedict XVI urged recently Christians, Jews and Muslims to work together to forge peace in the Middle East, upon the start of a two-week Vatican conference which lasts until  Oct. 24 and includes as guests senior Jewish and Muslim leaders.

At a mass to denote the opening of a special synod of Catholic bishops, Benedict urged the three faiths to “promote spiritual and cultural values that unite people and exclude any form of violence,” according to the AFP.

In his sermon, Benedict urged the international community to champion “a trustworthy, loyal and constructive path towards peace” within the region, and added, “This is also a good occasion to continue our constructive dialogue with the Jews… as well as with the Muslims,” the AFP reported.

The pope called on church leaders from all over the Middle East to also discuss the Palestine-Israel issue and to discern ways to counter radical Islam, as well as examine church issues regarding the exodus of Christians from the Middle East, BBC News said.

According to a preparatory document, violence and discrimination against Christians in Egypt, Turkey and Iraq has also been singled out as an area of concern, the AFP said.

Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, who is charged with organizing synods, said in a news conference, “The vital dialogue with Judaism is one of the main objectives of the synod, along with the difficult but necessary dialogue with Islam,” the AFP reported.

Eterovic called Arab Christians “a natural bridge with Islam.” Of the Middle East conflict he said, “We hope we will be able to achieve peace and that the synod marks a step forward in this direction,” according to the AFP.

In the synod Arabic will be one of the official languages. The AFP said that while Muslim and Jewish leaders are slated to address the synod, they will do so on separate schedules and will not meet.

Eterovic said, “We want maximum visibility for the Catholic church in this region, which is so vital to Christian history and which has been hit by tensions, conflicts, religious and political upheaval in the past 2,000 years,” the AFP reported.

He also expressed concern that “difficult conditions” from violence and discrimination has led to a mass exodus of Christians from Iraq, according to BBC News.

Of note, a century before, Christians comprised 20 percent of the Middle East population. Today they are only five percent, BBC News reported. Out of some 356 million people in the Middle East, only 20 million are Christians, the AFP said.

Nonetheless, Eterovic also said that while many Arab, Iranian and Turkish Christians have fled, many Catholics have come to the Gulf States from India and the Philippines, BBC News said.

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Three young Malaysian Muslims stood trial recently in the Kuala Lumpur sessions court for allegedly firebombing the Metro Tabernacle, a Protestant church, last January.

The torching of the church culminated a spate of violence which included torching eight churches and vandalizing two others.

Although the Protestant church was the most seriously damaged church, a Sikh temple, three mosques and two Muslim prayer rooms experienced minor damages, The Canadian Press said.

The fire bombings and vandalism were instigated when a court order allowed The Herald, a Catholic newspaper, to use the word “Allah” to refer to God, Catholic Culture said.

Arab Christians and Indonesian Catholics commonly use the word “Allah,” The Jakarta Globe says.

The court verdict has since been appealed by the Malaysian government, and Muslim Malaysian leaders fear that the use of “Allah” by other faiths may confuse or lead to the conversion of Muslims, The Canadian Press said.

Two of those arrested were brothers Raja Muhd Faizal and Raja Muhd Idzham.

The third, Azuwan Sahah Ahmad is a friend. The three were arrested after one of them was treated in a hospital for severe burns, Channel News Asia said.

Although two court witnesses out of six claimed they saw a group of men arrive at the church in motorcycles, no witness could positively identify the three suspects. New witnesses pending will include the suspects’ friends and the doctors who treated them, The Canadian Press said.

Under Penal Code 436 it is illegal to cause mischief with fire, Channel News Asia said. If convicted, they stand to face up to 20 years in prison, The Canadian Press said.

Malay Muslims make up two-thirds of the country’s 28 million population. The remainder of the population is comprised of religious minorities largely Buddhists, Hindus and Christians, The Canadian Press said.

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Persecution, conversion and healing continue in Israel, even as some dwell on the possibility that Jesus may eventually come to be a uniting force for peace in the Promised Land.

Persecution of the Levin family began when they held prayer meetings in the house they were renting.  The landlord filed charges to oust them, but the Levins stayed, confident the law is on their side.

Still, neighbors isolated them.  Sugar was placed in the tank of their minivan and eventually both of the Levin’s vehicles were burned, according to The Christian Telegraph.

Another story is told in Christianity Today is of Muslim teenagers threatening a teen for wearing a cross.

Most Arab Christian men stay silent when Muslims heckle their wives for not wearing a veil.  They fear their families will be harmed.  One Arab Christian complained, “We always have to suck up to the Muslims,” the report said.

Stories also abound in Israel of conversions, or at the very least of Jews or Muslims  looking towards Christians with a kinder eye.

Christianity Today tells of Maoz Inon who founded the Jesus Trail in Israel after he had a vision, though he is not religious.

Still, Inon says the Jesus Trail boosts understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.  “I believe in the power of Jesus. In our day, he can still change the world and make it a better place for us and our children,” Christianity Today reported.

The same report says there are many anonymous Arab Christians.  Conversion stories are compelling, for example Rani Espanioly talks of a figure of light approaching and clothing him in light, as he heard the voice of God.

“We Arab Christians can be ambassadors for reconciliation and peace in this country,” Espanioly says.

There are also a growing number of Jewish conversions, with some 10,000 to 15,000 Messianic Jews.  Yossi Ovadia, a Messianic Jewish pastor, said he was converted while walking along the Sea of Galilee.

He was surprised when a British Christian said God loves Jews—Yossi thought everyone hated Jews.  He envied the close personal relationship Christians had with Jesus, so he got what they had.

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