Mindanao’s Major seminary promotes Muslim-Christian dialogue

DAVAO CITY—Biases and prejudices have separated Muslims and Christians in Mindanao and the seminary wants to erase them through dialogue of life and faith.

In culmination of the Pastoral Day of St. Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary of Mindanao (REMASE), Muslim families from different parts of Davao City were invited for a get-together with the seminarians whom they have hosted for a one-week immersion.

The get-together also served as an avenue for a forum held February 28, recounting their experiences and the impressions they have with one another.

Seminarian Bernie Edayan from the Archdiocese of Zamboanga shared that he personally have biases and prejudices against Muslims especially with what he has heard from the media and the different armed conflicts that happened in the Zamboanga peninsula but everything changed when he tried living together with Muslim families as part of their seminary formation.

The Muslim immersion of Theology 4 seminarians in different communities was started in 2002 in partnership with Muslim communities in Davao City and the Archdiocesan Center for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Dialogue (ACEID).

Seminarians are sent to the Muslim communities in Mini-forest Boulevard, Sirawan in Toril, Pañalom, and Panacan in Davao City so that seminarians who will become future priests in the different dioceses in Mindanao will become ‘men of dialogue’ according to Msgr. Abel Apigo, the rector of REMASE.

“They will bring their experiences in their respective dioceses,” Msgr. Apigo said.

Aleem Mahmod Adilao, a renowned Muslim leader in Davao City shared his experience of hosting seminarians in their house and his personal experience as member of the Bishops-Ulama Conference (BUC). The BUC has been actively promoting peace together with Protestant and Catholic Bishops and Ulama of the Muslims.

Archbishop Emeritus of Davao Fernando R. Capalla who is also present in the forum recounted how the BUC started in 1996 and the different stories of Muslims and Christians who have forged friendship through respectful dialogue.

He shared how the priests helped the family of Aleem Adilao when their house was burned in 1999, wherein they sheltered his family in the house of the late Fr. Paul Cunanan for four months until they were able to go back to their home in Boulevard, Davao City.

Abp. Capalla told the lay faithful from the parishes and the Muslim families present that before they cannot imagine a Muslim family living in a house of a Christian but it was made possible.

The archbishop also hoped that this same story and other stories of Muslims and Christians supporting one another will appear in the media and not just the conflict that arises in Mindanao and other parts of the world.