07/09/2004

Statement by Orthodox Bishop Feofan of Ossezia
EUROPE/ITALY - �I wish to say thank you to the Vatican and also to the people of Italy for important moral support in these days. All together in fact we must say �no� to terrorism�: statement by Orthodox Bishop Feofan of Ossezia opens 18th Meeting of �Religions and cultures: the courage of a new humanism� organised by S. Egidio Community

Milan (Fides Service) - An unexpected address opened the 18th Meeting of �Religions and cultures: the courage of a new humanism� organised by S. Egidio Community being held at Arcimboldi Theatre in Milan until tomorrow 7 September.

. In effect the organisers asked Orthodox Bishop Feofan, who is Bishop of Ossezia a northern region of Russia where in the town of Beslan terrorists attacked a school, to address the meeting. The Bishop said �Terrorism is a threat which can strike anywhere. There is no justification for terrorism which is a crime. I myself experienced the horror of the school attack in Beslan as I helped to carry the bodies of the murdered children out of the school. I wish to thank the Vatican and also the people of Italy for the moral support offered in these days. All together we must say �no� to terrorism. The massacre of children cannot be justified. Freedom cannot be won by killing other people. Let us unite to say no to this evil�.

After Bishop Feofan, it was the turn of the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, who said referring to Beslan: �The courage of working to give life to a new humanism - founded on the inviolable dignity of every human person and respect for the rights of every individual, people and culture - is the most original and effective contribution with which together we wish to guarantee the building of authentic and lasting peace �.

�We are working to promote in October in Rome one of the first initiatives of discussion on the theme �Islam and Peace� said Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini. �An event organised as part of the activities of the Mediterranean Observatory. At a time in which extremism claims quite improperly to represent Islam, altering the great and noble message of that religion, we thought it important to invite leaders of world Muslim organisations to our country. Their witness will serve to remind the world that Islam has always promoted peace and dialogue with other religions and cultures�.

The invitation to peace and dialogue was repeated by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, President of the Italian Bishops� Conference who said in his address: �To the extent that they nourish and sustain this effort, religions will be faithful to their original mission and will rediscover in the present day historical context that role of promoting the human person, human intelligence and freedom, which appeared to have been lost in the last few centuries, as a result of the unhappy contra-position of the primacy of man and the primacy of God�.

Other speakers at the first day of the meeting included Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger, Adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates Ibrahim Ezzedine, the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi, Yasumi HirosePresident of Oomoto Japan, the President Senegal Abdoulaye Wade, the head of the S. Egidio Community Andrea Riccardi and the founder of the �Nouvel Observateur� Jean Daniel. (P.L.R.)