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  Issue 75  Cover Story

World Conference on Dialogue among religions and civilizations: “The contribution of region and culture to peace, mutual aspect and cohabitation”

Religion strengths mutual understanding


From 26 to 28 October this year in Ohrid, for the first time in our country, the World Conference on Dialogue among Religions and Civilizations was held. The topic of the conference was “The contribution of region and culture to peace, mutual respect and cohabitation”. Participants also discussed on the peace’s dependence on inter-religious peace, religion and education and the contribution of mutual values of different cultures and religions for the future of humankind. This important international event has contributed to the improvement of Macedonia’s image in the world, especially within our partners and friends.

The Conference was organized by the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with the Commission on relations with religious communities and religious groups. Over 300 representatives took part at the conference, out of which 200 were from religious communities and religious groups from about fifty countries all around the world. There were also representatives of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, Islamic Religious Community, Catholic Church, Jewish Community and Evangelistic-Methodist Church in Macedonia, diplomatic core, Macedonian diplomatic-consular offices in the world, dominant religions from all continents, international foundations, as well as a delegation from Vatican.   

The World Conference on Dialogue among Religions and Civilizations was held within two actual decades of the United Nations and UNESCO: Decade for Dialogue among Civilizations and Decade for Culture of Peace. The conference was also implementation of the Declaration adopted at the Regional Summit on the level of presidents of Southeast European countries held in Tirana in 2004 under patronage of UNESCO on topic “Inter-religious and inter-ethnic dialogue”.

The fact that this world conference was held in Macedonia is follow-up of a few significant regional forums and conferences held in the country, such as the Regional forum of Heads of state Dialog among civilizations under the auspices of the President Boris Trajkovski and the UNESCO General Secretary Koichiro Matsuura, held in August 2003 in Ohrid; the Balkan’s conference entitled as Balkan inter-religious dialogue held in May 2006 in Ohrid, and the Third ministerial conference on cultural heritage Cultural heritage: a bridge towards a shared future, organized in cooperation with the UNESCO Regional bureau BRESCE, in November 2006.

By holding this conference, through an exchange of opinions and experiences by representatives of different religions and cultures, it is striven to show that the world can be changed through a dialogue and active efforts into a dynamic area where people could reconfirm beauty, creative power of differences, to promote cultural exchange, cooperation, as well as the richness and potential it carries within. Such events can play a key role in overcoming religious and racial prejudices, as well as civilization intolerance, thus cherishing the centuries-old traditional understanding in inter-ethnic and inter-religious coexistence.

One of the conference’s goals is to help the world be free of prejudices, separation and misconceptions, by renewing mutual trust, return to traditional values through piety and respect of the close, setting up the inter-religious and inter-civilization dialogue, and we all to dedicate ourselves to creating a better world. Prejudice and separation, thus disrespect, result from ignorance or lack of characteristics of each religion. Furthermore, in this way the chances and pursuits of certain religious circles to make war for ascendancy, that is domination, shall be reduced. This phenomenon is especially present within multi-ethnic and multi-confessional communities. Taking into consideration the fact that our country is such and there have not been any such phenomena yet, or they have not been manifested in some rough or harmful way, may serve to the present from abroad as an example of mutual tolerance and building correct relations between religious communities and religious groups.

Relevant for the Macedonian Orthodox Church, except for this important event, was the presence of the metropolitan Lavrentij from the Serbian Orthodox Church, which is a step forward in overcoming the dispute over recognition of the autocephaly of the MOC, an absurd and archaic attitude that has been lasting for decades, burdening not only the relations between the two churches, but also the two countries. His appearance gave a hope that the things will be better.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, Nikola Gruevski and His Beatitude Stefan Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia made a speech at the opening of the conference. The presence and the speech of the country’s prime minister was a sign and proof how much our country appreciates this dialogue and how much efforts it put for this dialogue to be carried out in a constructive manner. “With today’s conference Ohrid is getting rich with another symbolism at the beginning of this millennium, as a permanent host of the topic which is very important and influential in the modern living – dialogue among religions and civilizations”, said the Prime Minister in his address.

 

Future of the world

“Macedonia as a democratic party located at the crossroad of civilizations, is trying to confirm that all different opinions within this plan result from ignorance, that is, spiritual inertia. The spirit and mind of the Conference should prove that the world has a future and that differences should be respected and cherished as we are only passers-by in this world”, Reisu Ul Ulema haxhi Sulejman Ef. Rexhepi.

 

Religion – divine gift

“Religion is a divine gift for mellowing the hearts and spiritual bringing together nations, and its role is to support dialogue. This meeting of representatives of all religions and with such a topic, imposes the need to see the religion’s place in life, the need of it during practical solution of conflict situations between nations and countries, the need to see its irreplaceable role in modern temporary and permanent migrations of nations”, His Beatitude Stefan Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia.

 

There is no real peace between nations without real peace between religions

This topic was extensively discussed by both ministers of religion and other representatives of the countries they came from. “Peace, mutual respect and cohabitation are of life importance in a world where uncompromising attitudes often result in misunderstanding and pain and lead to fatal violence. Dialogue is the real way to find out new solutions to these harmful conflicts and tensions that cause lots of evil to the society. Renewal of mutual trust and openness of dialogue among religions and civilizations effectively contributes to world’s relief from disappointment, prejudices and division and promote an efficient pedagogy of peace based on trust and friendship”, said Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo, who headed the delegation from Vatican. Abdul Salam Abbadi from Jordan, the King’s representative and his religious counselor, said that in their country religion teaching had been existing ever since the existence of the state. This matter is similarly solved in different countries and regions. There are many countries that are now making their first steps in regulating this by law. This particularly refers to the countries that have just left political one-part system. And now, during the building of a pluralistic society, they also take religion teaching in consideration. But there is also another way of studying religion teaching.

For Hilarion Alfeyev, Bishop of Vienna and Austria from the Russian Orthodox Church, this is a debate on man and his nature, not only the churches. Dusan Caplovic, Deputy Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic also debated on politics and religion and in his opinion the greatest danger is relating fundamental religious values to extreme nationalism and politics. Therefore he thinks that politics should be separated from religion.

 

Religion in education – its role in society’s transformation

The Special Representative of the European Union and Head of the Delegation of the European Commission Erwan Fouere, who first talked on this issue, pointed out that politics cannot be practiced without ethics and this word should inspire world leaders. “The message from this conference would be directed towards today’s world leaders to be inspired by the patron Thomas More who was an example of promotion of justice, as well as the authorities to remind themselves of their responsibilities and obligations towards people they represent”, said Fouere.

This topic was also addressed by Cardinal Vinko Puljic, who thinks that a solid education system is possible only with religion teaching and he supported it with the experience from Bosnia and Herzegovina. “As I come from a country of different confessions, we have revised each other’s contents in the schoolbooks and now everything is all right”. For example, the Jewish community in Southeastern Europe realizes religion teaching through civic education. His Eminence Joan, Metropolitan of Korca from Albania also addressed the participants of the Conference and among the other things he said that to love a nation did not mean to hate other one. – The Orthodox Church does not justify the idea of war because the war is a sin and evil and the church should fight against it, added metropolitan Jovan.

The Dean of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology from Skopje, Ratomir Grozdanovski, pointed out that in the modern cultural development of new processes and reforms, religion and church have the role of a prophylactic. – If the role of religion is excluded instead, people can develop intolerance to the others and the different ones, to reject opinions different from theirs and to create repulsiveness towards multi-culture and develop radicalism, he added.

 

Contribution of mutual values of different cultures and religions for the future of humankind

The participants of the Conference were presented the message of Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Buddhist association “Soka Gakkai International” which says that the Republic of Macedonia is an ideal place where such essential dialogue that joins civilizations is maintained. “The peace frameworks colored by the international politics and economics are motivated by personal interests and can be an obstacle to peace. We have to find ways to make common peace. Cultures enriched with diversity can express themselves better than political entities. The dialogue and the exchange can lead us to harmony. I am convinced that the dialogue among nations and religions will help create a big vision for the future”, says Ikeda. The Metropolitan Kirijakos Teofilos from the Syrian Orthodox Church in India in his address to the participants said that the church should start a new era of inter-religious dialogue. “People should accept the good in all religions. Mother Theresa did not preach but was an alive dialogue. We have to win prejudices and to look at the partner with mutual trust and respect”, said Metropolitan Teofilos.

The participants of the World Conference elected an International Organizational Committee that will work on the preparations of the following World Conference that will be held in Ohrid in 2010. Elizabeta Kancevska – Mileska was elected an executive secretary. At the end of the Conference the participants adopted a Declaration for promotion of inter-religious dialogue, understanding and unity. The Declaration condemns all forms of religious violence and intolerance, misuse of religion and all kinds of discrimination and actions that humiliate human dignity. The believers of all religions are asked to act according to the principle of reciprocity, to behave towards the others as we would like them to behave towards us.

 

For a peaceful society

“There will never be any harmony in a family or in the world unless mutual values and differences are respected. The task of each person is with good will and a special way to help building a peaceful society and to win the evil of a sterile and aggressive comparison between different cultures, religions and ethnic groups”, Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo.

Gramoz Shabani

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