For a world of peace: religions and cultures in dialogue

Assisi 1986-2006: a long pilgrimage of peace

Pleno Audience Plenum
Dialogo de las culturas Dialogue of cultures Dialog der Kulturen
Panel Panel Podium
Panel: La familia y la religión Panel: Family and Religión Podium: Familie und Religion
Dios es amor, Dios es paz God is love, God is peace Gott ist Liebe, Gott ist Frieden Fotos: Sant’Egidio, www.santegidio.org © 2006

ITALY, www.santegidio.org. In October of 1986 Pope John Paul II convoked the World Day of Prayer for Peace of Assisi. It was an unprecedented historical event, which saw gathered alongside the Holy Father representatives of the world’s great religions – from the Dalai Lama to the Archbishop of Canterbury. As we know, a process got underway there – now in its twentieth year – which the Community of Sant’Egidio took especially to its heart, engendering in turn the International Encounters of Religions. The meetings have progressed, year by year, first across Italy’s principle cities and then European capitals, representing an outstanding opportunity for dialogue and the surmounting of cultural and religious differences.

For a world of peace: religions and cultures in dialogue , was the central theme of the International Meeting and the Day of Prayer for Peace being promoted for the 4th and 5th September 2006 by the Community of Sant’Egidio together with the Episcopal Conference of Umbria.

At a time marked by terrorism and war, as well as by efforts towards dialogue and reconciliation, religion has assumed a prominent role in public life and in conflicts of identity. Religions are ever more exposed to the peril of becoming implements in the hands of extremists.

The dialogue of cultures

Since Assisi, the world’s great religions have been reasserting the centrality of dialogue between differing cultures as the key to defusing confrontation. They have worked to promote a trend of globalisation that is not merely market-driven, but capable indeed of encapsulating the legitimate aspirations of entire peoples and of humankind. At the same time religions are probing their deepest questions, each from within the bounds of their own traditions and in frank juxtaposition with those of others, as well as with prominent witnesses from lay culture.

Twenty years on from the historic World Day of Prayer for Peace convoked by John Paul II, and in the setting of Assisi’s Lower Basilica, a universal message was to arise from the many religious leaders, united from many different parts of the world, gathering together the fruits of these two days of collaborative search and praying side by side.

Globalization of the human countenance

Twelve panels, each working on an issue crucial to our times, offered a pool of valuable contributions. Their overall aim was to be in the discovery of pathways, both practical and theoretical, showing the way out of ideologies of confrontation: through a joint undertaking – cleared of misunderstandings – to conduct us onto a broad spiritual road of collaboration towards a "globalisation of the human countenance".

Among those present were to be: the Grand Rabbi Cohen of Haifa, Rabbis Toaff and Di Segni from Rome, Ibrahim Ezzedine, Councillor to the Presidency of the United Arab Emirates, the Secretary of the World Lutheran Council, Noko, the President of the European Council of Churches, Jean-Arnold de Clermont, Cardinals Paul Poupard, Stanislao Dziwisz, as well as representatives of all the Christian confessions, both Eastern and Western. There will be a strong presence from "border" regions such as Israel and the Middle East, Pakistan, the Far East and the Mediterranean.

As in previous years, a special web site of Sant’Egidio followed the events live, providing stills, video, and textual coverage, enabling those separated by distance to unite with the encounters and dialogues as they happen. Many thus were to be present on the afternoon of September 5 in Assisi, to affirm once more, forcibly, that peace, and peace alone, is the name of God.

At the closing of this edition of www.schoenstatt.de, a final report on the meeting that closed few hours earlier, was not yet available, but the website offers texts, documents, video and audio of the event.