He also stressed the potentialities of this kind of literature for a fruitful interreligious discussion. In his introductory speech, the Director of the SBF, Professor F. Manns, underlined the universal character of Jerusalem from the very beginning when king David took it from the Jebusites and continued their cult. After him, king Solomon consecrated the temple as a house of prayer not only for the Israelites but also for the strangers. Jerusalem is the mother of all of us, Manns said, and with a mother it is possible to discuss common heritage without starting another war. Manns also stressed the complexity of the problem of Jerusalem as the city of the three religions and the importance of memory for today's life.
Memory brings reconciliation if one is ready to listen to the other's story.
Jerusalem, he concluded, is the place where Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions can have a real encounter in truth and overcome exclusivistic tendencies. In his opening address, the main organizer of the symposium, Professor Enzo Cortese, reviewed the many conferences on Jerusalem held in Jerusalem in the course of the last year. He reaffirmed for the SBF the choice of a middle way between those, among the Christians themselves, who totally side with the Jews and those who totally side with the Palestinians. Based on the sacred Scripture that is common to the three faiths, the Torah or the Old Testament, and in a believing understanding of God's guidance in history, the middle way tries to find a place for both Christians and Muslims without dispossessing the Jews of their rights. After reading a message of congratulation and good wishes from the Superior General of the Franciscans, Fr.