Interreligious dialogue is an idea that is constantly being reinvented, and despite the recent stagnation in Sunni-Shiite dialogue, many observers believe the situation will change with time. Pope Francis’ visit to Egypt on April 28 rekindled hopes that, despite the years of boycott and disputes, the Sunni-Shiite rift will one day come to an end.

Pope Francis reportedly met with Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb in what is considered a remarkable development in Al-Azhar relations with the Vatican. The boycott between the two began in 2011 following Pope Benedict XVI’s calls to the leaders of the world to protect Egypt’s Christians after the bombing of the Coptic Church in Alexandria in January 2011. Al-Azhar considered such remarks as meddling in Egyptian affairs.

Pope Francis also met with Alexandria’s Pope Tawadros II. They signed a mutual agreement April 28 to recognize baptism in both Catholic and Orthodox churches, putting an end to a dispute that has been around for 16 centuries. The agreement eliminated the requirement that a person who had already been baptized in one of the churches would have to repeat the baptism if he switched to another church.

On May 4, DotMsr.com published an article titled “After resumption of dialogue with the Vatican, when will Sunnis and Shiites sit at one dialogue table?”