Distinguished religious leaders,
I wish to thank Professor Riccardi and the whole community of Sant�Egidio for their warm hospitality as always. I express gratitude for your special quality, for naturally every community concerns itself with the needs of its own community, but you are concerned for the welfare of all humanity, its diverse communities and religions. According to our faith, this is the way of God that brings Him joy.
This is also the way of his prophet, Moses our teacher as related in the book of Exodus that he was a shepherd looking after the flocks when he saw a burning bush that was not consumed. And God called to him: �Take off your shoes from your feet, for the ground you are standing on is holy ground�.
Our sages ask why did God ask Moses to take off his shoes? It is not our Jewish practice to take off our shoes for prayer or when going into the synagogue. And they explain that there is a basic difference between a person who wears a shoe and someone who is barefoot.
The barefooted person feels every grain of sand, stone, thorn, the heat of the sun on the ground � all of which gives him discomfort and pain.
As opposed to the person wearing shoes who is protected from this discomfort and pain. So God sought to teach Moses: �You are now appointed as a leader of a people. Just as you now took off your shoes and felt the burning sand and every pebble and grain so it is your duty as a religious leader to feel the pain and distress of all the people you will lead.
Distinguished colleagues, this message must lead our path as spiritual shepherds.
At a time when the world suffers pain and distress because of terror and violence we religious leaders have the duty to feel and share the pain and suffering of others � and a great spiritual leader feels not only the pain of his own people but also the pain of other peoples.
Ladies and Gentlemen, such an interfaith gathering especially when it includes religious leaders from countries that may be in conflict or without diplomatic relations between them has special importance as a symbol of bridge building and hope.
Every leadership meeting conveys a message to our communities of the true voice of our traditions of moderation and respect. While there are extremists in our communities, our true message is one of brotherhood and peace between the religions.
Religious leaders must represent the Godly which is the goodly in our world. They must represent the goodness which is present in by every religion so that the good will triumph over evil and peace will conquer terror and love will overcome hatred, violence and war.
We must emphasize the human will to live over any desire to die, and thereby enable every person to live in keeping with his or her faith.
I consider whoever attends this gathering to be a representative of the Good and thus represents God�s will to bring peace to the world. Peace is the oxygen of the world. There is no life without oxygen.
Unfortunately the extremists who exploit religion causing the suffering of scores of thousands are not here to listen to us.
Due to these extremists there are innumerable widows and orphans in the world today.
That is why I am so happy and grateful for all those who are here today and who demonstrate their true desire for peace and hope. As Pope John Paul II told me once, �terrorism is the great enemy of peace�.
For us Jews this value is most important. We pray three times a day in our prayers for peace. We are a people persecuted through history culminating in the Holocaust where six million of our brothers and sisters perished. But in keeping with God�s promise we returned to the land of our Fathers. On this past Saturday in synagogues around the world we read the passage of the Bible that teaches us that even when we face hostilities against us even in our holy land, we must always first call for peace.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we all are descended from one father Abraham. I am sure that he is so pained by the conflicts among his children. How may we make him feel happy? Let us agree that while conflicts have to be resolved by politicians, we as religious leaders will strive to be a bridge between peoples and transform hostility into love.
We will demonstrate that we are loyal children to our father and emphasize that which is common to us which is so much greater than that which divides us.
I take this opportunity to condemn the disrespectful cartoons that were issued against of the Prophet of Islam, Peace upon Him. Any act that offends believers is to be forbidden. At the same time accordingly I expect Muslim religious leaders to condemn any leader of a Muslim country who mocks the Holocaust and calls for a State�s obliteration.
Unfortunately in our area, wars have not yet ceased. I am additionally distressed by the abuse of religion that some religious leaders collaborate with, using sermons to incite and cause further bloodshed.
I mourn every victim and wounded person even widow or orphan. I weep for every sick and invalid and especially for those taken captive and prevented from contact with his family and people.
I issue a call from this podium to do everything we can for the release of captives. And if we cannot succeed in this, at least as religious leaders to do our utmost to obtain information on their conditions for their family. Surely this is the humanitarian minimum to let a mother know if her son is dead or alive, healthy or wounded! We must guarantee that the Red Cross has access to all captives. I guarantee that I will do everything to ensure this from the Israel/Jewish side. I call upon the other religious leader in the Middle East to do everything they can do so that every parent can be informed about the fate of their children. Similarly we, as religious leaders, must also concern ourselves, with the spiritual health of captive and unable them to have their respective holy scriptures with them to draw inspiration and comfort.
Friends, I repeat a call I have made to establish a United Nations of Religions at which every nation would have religious representatives and even those of countries that do not have diplomatic relations with one another would sit together and address the problems of the world based on our common affirmation of the Ten commandments which of course include the prohibition of murder.
Let me conclude with a parable from our ancient sages about a woodcutter who came to a forest to cut down trees. The trees started wailing over their impending fate. A by passer said to them: �O trees, you are also responsible that the woodcutter can cut you down. You must give not him a handle of wood and then he could not wield the axe�. So we, as religious leaders, have the heavy responsibility not to allow the noble values of our religious traditions to be �handles� for those who would cut others down. Don�t give them a hand � a handle � and the power.
However the basis of the Hebrew word for handle is the word �yad�, hand, which also offers a special positive meaning. Yad and another Yad � two hands together � make the word �Yedid�, which means friendship. If we clasp hands together as religious leaders for the benefit of all, we will succeed in transforming the hand of destruction into hands of friendship, brotherhood and peace. Amen
