By Father Moses Ariho, interfaith adviser

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Interfaith walks have played an important role in community cohesion over the past few years. As part of our charism, we in the Missionaries of Africa would never miss a chance to participate in such encounters, which foster mutual understanding and community cohesion. As members of a small group known as Scriptural Reasoning (SR), we planned this annual walk to continue building bridges of religious tolerance in Liverpool and beyond. We are grateful to all who supported us in different ways. The below was written by Adeline Salim, one of our parishioners who attended this year’s walk for the first time. 

Now in its fourth year, the event on 2 July attracted more than 230 participants, with some travelling from well beyond the Liverpool region. The event began at St Philip Neri Roman Catholic Church, now home to the University Chaplaincy, which was included in the walk for the first time. After introducing the history of the building, including its recent appearance in the TV series ‘This City Is Ours’, Fr Neil Ritchie, the chaplain, answered questions from participants. He spoke about efforts to build relationships across faith communities through both social outreach and dialogue. During university term time, students from Catholic and other Christian traditions volunteer at the soup kitchen run by the Missionaries of Charity Sisters. The chaplaincy regularly welcomes student groups from other faiths. Fr Neil emphasised the Church’s desire to become more outward-looking and to engage positively with people of different religious traditions.

Will Kelly, a Liverpool resident, commented: “The first thing that struck me about this event, and what I will remember for months to come, is the number of people who attended. It’s a rare enough thing when you get to see a church, a synagogue, and a mosque packed with so many different souls all brought together by this amazing expression of solidarity among the faiths in Liverpool.”

From there, Fr Stavros Kasinos led the group to the Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas, dedicated to the patron saint of sailors and merchants in honour of Liverpool’s maritime heritage. Born and raised in Liverpool, Fr Stavros explained several aspects of Orthodox tradition, including the customary seating arrangement in which men and women sit separately, with unmarried women traditionally seated in the upstairs gallery behind a low screen. 

Next stop was the Princes Road Synagogue where Dr Peter Grant, a member of the synagogue’s board, guided visitors around the magnificent building, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2024. He related that when Liverpool’s Jewish community commissioned their flagship synagogue, seven architectural firms submitted designs, six of them Jewish. The winning design, however, came from the Scottish Presbyterian Audsley brothers. Visitors admired the richly decorated interior, adorned with intricate geometric and floral patterns but notably free of human images – a feature immediately recognised by several Muslim participants. This provided an interesting contrast with St Nicholas’s, whose walls are filled with icons of Christ, the Holy Family, and saints.

Questions followed about Jewish traditions, including the differences between Orthodox and Progressive Judaism, particularly concerning the role of women and practices surrounding ritual purity, such as immersion in the mikveh (ritual bath). The highlight came at the end of the tour, when Dr Grant drew back the heavy curtains to reveal the Ark containing the Torah scrolls, a breathtaking sight that drew audible admiration from the crowd.

The final stop was the Al Rahma Mosque where Dr Badr Abdullah, chair of the Liverpool Muslim Society (LMS), recounted how Liverpool’s Muslim community began in 1953 when Al-Haj Ali Hizzam, a Yemeni sailor, opened a prayer room in his own home. 

The journey towards deeper interfaith understanding has not always been easy. Mustafa Abdul Yassir of LMS reflected: “There are people who want us to fear our differences rather than celebrate them. They want to convince us that there cannot be a church, a synagogue, and a mosque on the same street, let alone share the same vision of a peaceful community. But look around you today - this interfaith walk is our answer to that. When we open our doors to one another, fear evaporates. When we discover that mercy, charity, and love of neighbour are woven throughout the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur’an, we realise just how much we truly share.”

Rocio, a participant from Mexico, agreed: “We are all brothers and sisters as we are all sons of God. This walk was a reminder of the similarities rather than what could make us different. I had the honour to hear about other people’s experiences of meeting God which reminded me of His Greatness and Highness.” Another participant, Abdulwase Sufian, affirmed: “If the hearts are united, the people will be united.”

Perhaps the greatest sign of that unity came afterwards as everyone gathered around a shared meal at the recently opened World Faith Cafe. Conversations continued long into the evening, proving once again that friendship often begins with simply walking together and sharing a table. We are ready to share our experiences with everyone who is interested in interfaith and interreligious dialogue, whether that be in parishes and families of parishes, or deaneries and institutions of learning.