|
Religious faith and dialogue can lead humanity away from the abyss of war, hatred and fear and point to the path to peace, said leaders representing Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and other religions, as well as political leaders, including the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, at a congress that took place in Krakow, Poland, to commemorate the beginning of the World War II.
"Religions don't want war and don't want to be used" as an excuse for or to justify war, the leaders said in a final written statement released Sept. 8. To say a war is waged in the name of God is blasphemy and "humanity will always be defeated by hatred and terror" when it turns to war to solve its problems, it said. The statement and appeal for peace came during the final ceremony of the Sept. 6-8 international congress in Krakow, which was dedicated to "Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue." Some 300 leaders representing the world's major religions took part in the gathering, which was organized by Krakow's archbishop, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, and the Rome-based Community of Sant'Egidio. The congress focused on the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II and reflected on the horrors of war with a pilgrimage to the former concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The encounter also paid tribute to the interreligious efforts of Pope John Paul II, who was the archbishop of Krakow before his election as pope. "The bitter lesson of the Second World War is often forgotten and yet it was a huge tragedy in human history" that showed to what horrendous depths humanity could sink, said the meeting's final statement. The world today needs spiritual guidance as it is disoriented by the current economic crisis and "an often soulless, faceless globalization," it said. God is the source of peace in the world and spirituality and dialogue will point the way to a life and a world of peace, it said. Without dialogue, the world "will be a slave to hatred and fear," it added. In a long-distance greeting via satellite linkup, Pope Benedict XVI told the interreligious leaders that the world's religions in particular have a duty to fight against violence and extremism. Religions must promote forgiveness and reconciliation, he said from the Italian city of Viterbo Sept. 6. The key to future peace is the ability to transmit to younger generations a culture and style of life that is marked by love, solidarity and respect for others, he said. Among the hundreds of participants and numerous speakers at the international congress in Krakow was Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington. He spoke Sept. 7 about how the pope's social encyclical, "Charity in Truth," offered important guidelines for finding ethical solutions to the current economic crisis. Joshua DuBois, special assistant to U.S. President Barack Obama and head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, was one of a handful of speakers during the closing ceremonies. He cited several excerpts from Obama's June 4 speech in Cairo, Egypt, including this statement: "The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now that must be our work here on earth." |
W sobotni wieczór, 17 stycznia 2009 o godz. 17.00, w Synagodze Tempel przy ul. Miodowej 24, na krakowskim Kazimierzu, odbyła się HAWDALA, czyli nabożeństwo kończące szabat. Zorganizowane z okazji XII Dnia Judaizmu spotkanie modlitewne miało charakter międzyreligijny: chrześcijańsko-żydowski, a udział w nim w nim wziął po raz pierwszy Arcybiskup Krakowa Kardynał Stanisław Dziwisz.
Harold Kasimow, czołowy amerykański ekspert w dziedzinie dialogu międzyreligijnego, wygłosił wykład w krakowskiej siedzibie Centrum Kultury i Dialogu. Prof. Kasimow urodził się w Polsce i przetrwał Zagładę ukrywając się z rodzicami jako kilkulatek w litewskich lasach. Jego mistrzem był rabin Abraham Joshua Heschel. Rozwijając jego myśl, Kasimow przekonuje, że trzy wielkie religie odwołujące się do wiary Abrahama: judaizm, chrześcijaństwo i islam, mają szanse przezwycieżyć wielowiekowy konflikt i współpracować na rzecz pokoju.
Przebywająca z kilkudniową wizytą w Polsce delegacja AJC odwiedziła CKiD, aby zapoznać się z działalnością CKiD w dziedzinie dialogu polsko-żydowskiego oraz perspektywami współpracy między CKiD i AJC. AJC jest jedną z najstarszych amerykańskich organizacji typu think tank. Od ponad 100 lat AJC propaguje wartości demokratyczne w przekonaniu, że rządy prawa są najlepszym zabezpieczenia przed konfliktami na tle narodowościowym czy religijnym.
