World leaders, senior diplomats and religious figures condemned extremism and terrorism Wednesday at a U.N. conference on interfaith dialogue that brought Israel and Arab countries together to promote tolerance. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, the event's chief sponsor, opened the meeting with a call for greater understanding in the Middle East, saying that religious and cultural differences in the region have "engendered intolerance, causing devastating wars and considerable bloodshed." "Terrorism and criminality are the enemies of every religion and every civilization," said Abdullah, in his first address before the U.N. General Assembly as Saudi Arabia's leader. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attended the speech, and President Bush will address the conference Thursday.

The Tony Blair Faith Foundation has a difficult mission ahead. That mission, as usual, takes the form of a sophisticated intellectual argument and a third-way rejection of ideological extremes. As the only European politician who still seems to take Sept. 11 seriously, Blair is highly critical of "extremist and exclusionary" religion. He draws a stark global dividing line, not between left and right or north and south but between pluralists and totalitarians. His new foundation intends to support people who oppose extremism, especially among the young.

Despite a Supreme Court order requiring that the renegade Anglican bishop Nolbert Kunonga, a supporter of President Robert Mugabe, share dozens of churches in Harare, the capital, with followers of Bishop Sebastian Bakare, church officials and parishioners said the police had continued to harass and lock out the bulk of the city’s Anglicans. “The police have continued to brutalize our people, which is sad,” said Bishop Albert Chama, the dean of the Anglican Province of Central Africa. “This is political interference. I’m sure the police are getting orders from above. They’re protecting Kunonga.”

Violence in Iraq has declined dramatically since last year, but members of the country's Christian denominations say they are increasingly under threat. In March, Paulos Faraj Rahho, archbishop of Mosul's Chaldean community, was found dead after being abducted. This month, Youssef Adel, an Assyrian Orthodox priest, was fatally shot in a drive-by attack in Karrada, one of Baghdad's safest neighborhoods and home to Abdal's Holy Catholic Assyrian Church. Dozens of churches, monasteries and other buildings have been firebombed, looted or occupied by Muslims since June 2004, according to Assyrian church leaders. Christian relief organizations describe the plight of Iraqi Christians as "ethnic cleansing."

Flanked by security personnel, the Dalai Lama made his way through a downtown hotel lobby as fellow Tibetans bowed and raised their voices in song. The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader was to anchor a five-day conference on compassion that begins Friday in his first visit to the United States since the recent turmoil in Tibet. As he arrived at the Grand Hyatt Seattle hotel Thursday, the Dalai Lama said he supports nonviolent demonstrations but was saddened by this week's protests in San Francisco, where authorities had to reroute the Olympic torch run after human rights activists scuffled with pro-Chinese crowds.

The moral values taught by the world's main religions form the only ethical code with enough depth to help people judge what is right and wrong in a modern, increasingly technological society, said Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington. The archbishop, who will host Pope Benedict XVI in Washington April 15-17 and who will join him for an interreligious meeting, spoke April 4 at Rome's Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. Inaugurating the university's Pope John Paul II lecture on interreligious understanding, Archbishop Wuerl called for greater dialogue to defend "the essential role of faith in public life and human affairs." While religion often is seen as a source of conflict or is "abused and misused" for political purposes, for centuries it has been a key source guiding people to act righteously and promote the common good, he said.

Gatherings of top religious leaders and even some heads of state will take place this year in the United States, at the Vatican, and in Britain, aimed at defusing tensions between the West and the Muslim world. The first-of-their-kind dialogues – which will kick off in July – will begin with theological discussions but seek practical results. Yet they're stirring some debate within the faith groups as to the proper way to engage "the other" and whether common ground can be found.

Common Tables is a nonprofit that aims to nurture interfaith friendships. It puts together group rosters and asks members to meet for dinner at least four times. Participants can talk about theology or the weather. They can share prayers or photos of their children. Nothing's required. And nothing is off-limits, except proselytizing. The point is simply to reach out, to shake hands with a Buddhist, enjoy a glass of wine with a Wiccan, share laughs with a Sikh or an agnostic or a Jain.

Pope Benedict XVI will meet later this year with Muslim religious leaders and scholars as part of a push for dialogue between Catholics and Muslims, the Vatican said Wednesday. The occasion for the meeting will be a Nov. 4-6 seminar in Rome. Two dozen leaders and scholars from each side will participate in the Catholic-Muslim forum. Church officials have said such a papal audience would be "historic." The Vatican is eager to improve relations with moderate Islam. A speech by Benedict in 2006 about Islam and violence angered many in the Muslim world.

Tomorrow, a document highlighting an agreement of cooperation and understanding between the Muslim American Community Association and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden - believed to be one of only two pacts in the nation between the faiths. The agreement calls for the establishment of a commission of Catholics and Muslims that will foster mutual respect for each other's beliefs, "champion each other's just causes" and promote understanding for each other's history and traditions. It also creates a Catholic-Muslim Institute that will provide educational programs at the mosque and at churches.