Roman Catholics and Shi'i Muslims: Prayer, passion, and politics. (Religion).(Brief Article)

JAMES A. BILL AND JOHN ALDEN WILLIAMS. Univ. of North Carolina, $27.50 (208p) ISBN 0-8078-2689-8 (Islam/Roman Catholic Christianity/Politics)

The meeting of Muhammad Khatami, president of Shi'ite Iran, and the Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II in March 1999 symbolized to coauthors Bill and Williams (both professors at the College of William and Mary) the vast similarities between the two faiths these men represent. Going beyond the numerous similarities in doctrine, this uneven book quickly moves to a discussion of virtually identical practices, such as passion plays (for Roman Catholics commemorating Jesus' crucifixion and for Shi'ite Muslims enacting the gruesome …