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Michael Fitzgerald
Catholic Archbishop, Holy See
We meet together here as followers of different religions, divided by our diverse beliefs and practices, yet united in the conviction that our religions have something to contribute to the world. We do not accept that people who belong to different religions must necessarily be in conflict, otherwise we would not be here at this meeting. We have come to encounter one another, to share with one another, and to see what we can share together with the world for the cause of peace. I speak here as a Christian, and a Christian of the Catholic tradition. I should like to suggest some ways in which people of different beliefs can give a common witness and thus contribute to the well-being of humanity. Three points will be touched upon: � The primacy of God � The responsibility of human beings � Service to humanit I am conscious that not everything that I say will be acceptable to all, but I hope that you will be bear with me as I present the views of my own tradition. The Primacy of God Those of us who believe in God are surely called to recognize a Truth which surpasses us? Is it not therefore our duty to remind this modern society of ours that the human being cannot be its own measure? From the Christian point of view at least, and this could perhaps be accepted also by Jews and Muslims and Sikhs, and people of some other religions too, human dignity has its source in the creative act of God. It is perhaps good to recall here the teaching of the final section of the Declaration Nostra Aetate: We cannot truly pray to God, the Father of all, if we treat any people in other than brotherly fashion, for all men are created in God's image. Man's relation to God the Father and man's relation to his fellowmen are so dependent on each other that the Scripture says: "He who does not love, does not know God" (I Jn 4:8). There is no basis, therefore, for any discrimination between individual and individual, or between people, arising either from human dignity or the rights which flow from it (NA 5). To accept the will of the Creator is not to go against the interests of humanity but rather to act to its advantage, for it helps to achieve its destiny. As believers in God, are we not called to make our voices heard in society in this way? It is surely an obligation on our part to demand respect for the fundamental rights of human beings: the right to life, to physical integrity (which would include opposition to torture and any form of punishment that is incompatible with human dignity), the right to respect for one's reputation, the right to the means necessary for living a decent life, the right to education and of access to cultural development and to objective information, the right to freedom in the search for the truth, freedom of conscience and religious freedom which includes also the right to profess and practise one's faith not only as an individual but as a member of a community. There is a vast field here for common endeavour. The Responsibility of Human Beings To insist on the primacy of God does not mean that the human being is reduced to the status of a pawn on the divine chess-board. On the contrary, faith in the Creator God leads to an acceptance of the role that God has entrusted to the human being, namely to be a "co-creator". We are responsible for the created world and all it contains. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, says: "From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free" (Rm 8:22-23). This, as we are well aware, does not imply waiting passively. It is our duty to cooperate with the Spirit of God, to work so that the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of truth, peace, justice and love, may come. Service to Humanity From what has just been said about human responsibility it is an easy step to the idea of service to humanity. Believers in God, we are called to bear witness to our faith in God but also to our faith in the human person. Strengthened by our faith in God the Creator, the Provident Master of all, whom we like to call Father, we can bring to the world the hope it needs. We are convinced that evil, that sin, will not be victorious. We believe that God helps us and gives us the strength to continue to strive for the good of our brothers and sisters. It is these convictions of ours that sustain us, in good moments and bad, in times of distress as in times of happiness, in the midst of conflict and when there is peace, at times of failure, apparent or real, and also in times of success. We feel the need too for common witness in today's world. In October 1999 the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue organized an interreligious assembly, held in the Vatican, in order to examine the role of religions in the Third Millennium. In the final message the participants in this assembly declared: "We are conscious of the urgent need � To confront together responsibly and courageously the problems and challenges of our modern world� � To work together to affirm human dignity as the source of human rights and their corresponding duties, in the struggle for justice and peace for all. � To create a new spiritual consciousness for all humanity in accordance with the religious traditions so that the principle of respect for freedom of religion and freedom of conscience prevail" (Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Towards a Culture of Dialogue, Vatican City, 2000, p.79). The participants in this assembly added: "We know that the problems in the world are so great that we cannot solve them alone. Therefore there is an urgent need for interreligious collaboration. We are all aware that interreligious collaboration does not imply giving up our own religious identity but is rather a journey of discovery: � We learn to respect one another as members of the one human family. � We learn both to respect our differences and to appreciate the common values that bind us to one another. Therefore we are convinced that we are able to work together to strive to prevent conflict and to overcome the crises existing in different parts of the world. Collaboration among the different religions must be based on the rejection of fanaticism, extremism and mutual antagonisms which lead to violence" (ibid. pp.79-80). Finally the message addresses several appeals: "We appeal to religious leaders to promote the spirit of dialogue within their respective communities and to be ready to engage in dialogue themselves with civil society at all levels. We appeal to all leaders of the world whatever their field of influence: � To refuse to allow religion to be used to incite hatred and violence � To refus to allow religion to be used to justify discrimination � To respect the role of religion in society at international, national and local levels" (ibid. p.80). Much space has been given to this message because it is possible, probable even, that it is not widely known. Moreover it is evident that it has not lost any of its relevance for today's world. In the Service of Peace This statement underlined the need for the cooperation of people of different religions in the service of peace. It is in fact often said that there will be no peace in the world until there is peace among the religions. A finger is pointed to religions as being at the origin of conflicts. It could be questioned whether this is wholly true. Of course, it must be admitted that religion has, in the course of history, produced conflicts, and can do so today. But such conflicts may have a multiplicity of causes, and so it is only fair to distinguish between those which are strictly speaking religious, taking their origin from differences of belief, and those which are based on non-religious motivations but take on a religious colouring. Whether the causes are religious or not, the followers of different religions feel the duty to contribute to overcoming these conflicts and to work for peace. They are conscious that peace is a gift from God which has to be implored, but which also has, in a sense, to be earned. It is this conviction that has led Pope John Paul II to invite representatives of different religions to Assisi to pray for peace. He did this in October 1986, and more recently on 24 January 2002. Let me quote some of the words John Paul II used on that occasion: If peace is God's gift and has its source in him, where are we to seek it and how can we build it, if not in a deep and intimate relationship with God ? To build the peace of order, justice and freedom requires, therefore, a priority commitment to prayer, which is openness, listening, dialogue and finally union with God, the prime wellspring of true peace. To pray is not to escape from history and the problems which it presents. On the contrary, it is to choose to face reality not on our own, but with the strength that comes from on high, the strength of truth and love which have their ultimate source in God. Faced with the treachery of evil, religious people can count on God, who absolutely wills what is good. They can pray to him to have the courage to face even the greatest difficulties with a sense of personal responsibility, never yielding to fatalism or impulsive reactions (cf Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Peace: a Single Goal and a Shared Intention, Vatican City, 2002, p.91). The representatives gathered in Assisi on that day made a solemn tenfold commitment to peace, each commitment being read out in a different language. Let me quote some of these which emphasise the need for dialogue among the religions. We commit ourselves to proclaiming our firm conviction that violence and terrorism are incompatible with the authentic spirit of religion, and, as we condemn every recourse to violence and war in the name of God or of religion, we commit ourselves to doing everything possible to eliminate the root causes of terrorism. We commit ourselves to educating people to mutual respect and esteem, in order to help bring about a peaceful and fraternal coexistence between people of different ethnic groups, cultures and religions. We commit ourselves to fostering the culture of dialogue, so that there will be an increase of understanding and mutual trust between individuals and among people, for these are the premise of authentic peace. We commit ourselves to frank and patient dialogue, refusing to consider our differences as an insurmountable barrier, but recognizing instead that to encounter the diversity of others can become an opportunity for greater reciprocal understanding. Is it not in this spirit that we gather here in Aachen? Let us continue to commit ourselves to encounter, at all levels of society, so that we can overcome the temptation to clash and so that we can, by our common action, contribute to peace and harmony in our world.
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