The summit of religious leaders has ended

On July 3-5, Moscow hosted the World Summit of Religious Leaders, which was attended by more than a hundred delegates from different countries. The main topic of the meeting was the development of measures to counter extremism and terrorism.

In the final message, the forum participants spoke on many issues. In particular, the text says:

"We need to build a world order that combines democracy - as a way to reconcile various interests and as people's participation in decision-making at the national and global level - with respect for moral sense, lifestyle, various legal and political systems, national and religious traditions of people ..."

"The world should be multipolar and multi-structural, satisfying all people and all peoples, and not adjusted to lifeless and simplified ideological schemes..."

"Sin and vice destroy both the individual and society. Therefore, we are convinced that the law and the social order should combine, in fruitful harmony, commitment to rights and freedoms with an understanding of the moral foundations that underlie human society ..."

"We declare the importance of religious freedom in the modern world ... It is also necessary to take into account the rights of religious and national minorities ..."

"The school, the media and the preaching of spiritual leaders should return to our contemporaries the full knowledge of their religious traditions, calling for peace and love..."

"We demand to stop any insult to religious feelings and desecration of texts, symbols, names and places sacred to a believer. Anyone who encroaches on sacred things must know that it hurts the hearts of people and sows discord among them ..."

"We call on all peoples to return to a life of moderation, self-restraint and active justice. This will ensure a hopeful future for future generations and cut the ground from under the feet of terrorists and extremists..."

"We condemn attempts to artificially "mix" faiths or change them without the will of their followers in order to bring them closer to secularism..."

Commentators focus on the close connection of this forum with the upcoming G8 summit: “The Interreligious Council of Russia took up the organization of the Summit not by chance. periodically disputed, but here - peace and harmony, the religious organizations of Russia in unison hold a grandiose international conference and demonstrate complete agreement on the key issues of our time. Why is the country not the leader of the "free world" after that?"

"The selection of invitees was carried out by the Moscow Patriarchate very carefully," Vremya Novostei notes. of the Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, Patriarch and Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I, Secretary General of the World Council of Churches Pastor Samuel Kobia. The Pope and the Dalai Lama XIV were not invited, and the refusal to invite the Buddhist leader was due to the position of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Sources

• Message from the World Summit of Religious Leaders // Interfax-religion. 2006. July 5.
• Vasilenko K. Partnership in Faith // News time. 2006. July 4th.
• Minin S. Repetition of the past // NG-Religions. 2006. July 5.