Την περασμένη Παρασκευή, 22 Νοεμβρίου 2013, ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης κ. Βαρθολομαίος παραβρέθηκε και χαιρέτησε την καταληκτική συνεδρίαση της 9ης Παγκόσμιας Συνέλευσης των Θρησκειών για την Ειρήνη, η οποία πραγματοποιήθηκε στη Βιέννη της Αυστρίας, από τις 20 έως τις 22 του τρέχοντος μηνός. Μεταξύ άλλων τόνισε: "We believe that religious leaders must move beyond mere tolerance to love. When we embrace and welcome ‘the other’ with genuine concern and love—as if “the other” is our very own neighbor and our very self—then we have the foundation for creating lasting peace in the world.”
Η Συνέλευση στέφτηκε από επιτυχία, ενώ
συγκέντρωσε πάνω από 600 θρησκευτικούς ηγέτες απ' ολόκληρο τον κόσμο. Το
ιδιαίτατα ενδιαφέρον και άκρως επίκαιρο (μα και ακανθώδες) θέμα της ήταν
«Καλωσορίζοντας τον Άλλον".
Σημειωτέον ότι οι "Θρησκείες για
την Ειρήνη" είναι ο μεγαλύτερος διεθνής συνασπισμός των ηγετών και
εκπροσώπων από τις μεγαλύτερες θρησκείες της υφηλίου, όσον αφορά στην προώθηση
της παγκόσμιας Ειρήνης.
Ακολουθεί
η ομιλία του Οικουμενικού Πατριάρχη
(Vienna,
22 November 2013)
“How
good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in
unity.” (Psalm
133.1)
Your
Beatitude;
Your Excellencies;
Your Eminences;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen;
Your Excellencies;
Your Eminences;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen;
On
the occasion of the 9th World Assembly facilitated by Religions for Peace, we
bring you greetings of love and peace from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the
first See of the Orthodox Church. We are honored to be with you in Vienna, and
we give thanks to God for the opportunity to address this esteemed
assembly.
We
extend a sincere thanks to Dr. William Vendley, Secretary General, and the
planning committee for inviting us to share our thoughts about working together
for human dignity and peace. Before us we have an example of peace in the
making: Religions for Peace and the King Abdullah International Centre for
Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) have already demonstrated
the ability to mobilize and collaborate to make this week of meetings a
reality.
This
inspires us to recall the wisdom of an ancient Psalm: “Behold, how good and how
pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity”! The
ultimate goal of this assembly is to create a new paradigm to embrace the
essence of peace and unity, which exists in all of humanity. Indeed, “how good
and pleasant” that day will be when we experience such fellowship, where
everyone will be free to worship God in their own way. Let us leave this place
today and walk the path toward that peace.
Last
November, we took a step along that path when we were gathered in this very city
for the inauguration of the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for
Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue. Looking back today, there have been
many accomplishments on our journey toward peace since that gathering.
Furthermore, just a few weeks after our address in Vienna last year, we released
an encyclical calling for 2013 to be the “Year of Global Solidarity.” The need
to do so was increasingly clear:
We
discriminate against one another by means of fanaticism with regard to religious
and political convictions, by means of greed in the acquisition of material
goods, and through expansionism in the exercise of political power. These are
the reasons why we come into conflict with one another.
We
are not the first generation of humanity to face such challenges. In 313 of the
Christian Era, emperors Constantine and Licinius met face-to-face for a dialogue
on the injustice of persecuting minority religions. Three centuries of murder
and discrimination had become detrimental to all peoples living in those
societies. As a result, the Edict of Milan was signed into law, granting freedom
of religion to all members of their respective communities. The document itself
tells us the story behind its creation: “. . . for the sake of peace in our
times, that each one may have the free opportunity to worship as one pleases;
this regulation is made that we may not seem to detract from the dignity
of any religion . . .”
“For
the sake of peace in our times,” we too call for the “free opportunity to
worship” as one pleases. This fundamental human right is the cornerstone for
building solidarity between peoples and nations. It is the most essential
element for building peace. We must allow individuals to worship God freely and
without reprisals. We cannot pretend that we respect the dignity of another
human being, if we do not allow them to worship God peacefully.
Seventeen
centuries have come and gone since the Edict of Milan was enacted. Yet,
unfortunately, the world remains vulnerable to the same temptation of denying
others their basic human right of freedom of worship. In recent months, the
intensity and frequency of persecution against minority faiths has increased in
virtually every corner of the planet.
Certainly,
demands for tolerance from all religious leaders and peoples are needed; however
something more remains: namely, loving our neighbor. Merely tolerating one
another only further emphasizes the pervasive goal of dominance. If one must
tolerate the other, the one tolerated is viewed as less valuable than the one
who tolerates. This is a great deception and danger. We believe that religious
leaders must move . . . beyond mere tolerance . . . to love. When we embrace and
welcome ‘the other’ with genuine concern and love – as if ‘the other’ is our
very own neighbor and our very self! – then we have the foundation for creating
lasting peace in the world.
To
love another is to welcome them into your life and ‘home.’ To love another is to
prevent their harm through discrimination and contempt. It is to end aggression
and war. When our ‘enemy’ becomes important and invaluable to us; when our
‘enemy’ is regarded as a reflection of ourselves, we no longer face an enemy,
but a neighbor, a friend, an ally. When neighbors join together to seek the
benefit of ‘the other,’ we begin to live in solidarity with all
humanity.
Daily
news reports would lead us to believe we have nothing but ‘enemies.’ However,
there are glimmers of hope that have emerged this year, in spite of the great
difficulties that have been presented. For example, this year, the King Abdullah
Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue
has begun a process of examining the “Image of the Other” through regional
workshops. These workshops have explored shared values and best practices for
educating people about dialogue and peace. This flagship program will be
continued in the coming years.
Moreover,
this past March, an outstanding effort towards protecting vulnerable children in
Uganda was undertaken through a strategic partnership between KAICIID and
Religions for Peace. This effort is literally saving the lives of Uganda’s
children through basic nutrition and health education. We are all sharing in the
well-being of Uganda when we care for her children.
In
April of this year, Religions for Peace convened a meeting of diverse Syrian
religious leaders, who established a Religions for Peace Council in Syria. This
was a courageous step initiated in a place where peace is so grievously
threatened.
In
September, His Holiness Pope Francis called a peace vigil for the nation of
Syria to call attention to the strife and bloodshed there. He reminded the
nations “War always marks the failure of peace, it is always a defeat for
humanity.”
And
today, we are gathered here, together again, in this city. We are
shoulder-to-shoulder, standing for those things we believe in, and calling for a
new way of loving our neighbor. As we closed our encyclical last December,
declaring 2013 as the Year of Global Solidarity:
Let
us encourage one another during this Year of Global Solidarity to make every
conscious effort – as individuals and nations – for the reduction of the
inhumane consequences created by the vast inequalities as well as the
recognition by all people of the rights of the weakest among us so that everyone
may enjoy the essential goods necessary for human life. Thus, we shall indeed
witness – at least to the degree that it is humanly possible – the realization
of peace and good-will on earth.
Therefore,
thanks be to God who created humanity with the capacity to live in peace. May we
all find this peace in our hearts and share it with the world. We must not cease
and cannot be defeated in our efforts to secure human dignity and advocate the
well-being of all our neighbors in the world.
God
bless you all.
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