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ASSISI-MEETING Sep-5-2006 (1,060 words) xxxi
More than 150 religious leaders discuss, pray, appeal for peace
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
ASSISI, Italy (CNS) -- Muslims knelt on prayer rugs in the Assisi town hall, Shintoists performed rituals in the garden of a Franciscan convent, and Buddhists meditated in a room full of Renaissance frescoes.
Christians filled the town's cathedral to pray until the tolling of the church bells called members of all faiths to an evening procession for peace through the streets of the medieval city.
The 70 minutes of prayer marked the central moment of the 20th annual Interreligious Prayer Meeting for Peace Sept. 4-5, attended by more than 150 religious leaders from around the world.
Like the original encounter in 1986, this one took place in Assisi, the Italian hill town where St. Francis lived and preached. Sponsored by the Sant'Egidio Community, it featured numerous round-table discussions, separate prayer rituals and a joint appeal for peace delivered in front of the Basilica of St. Francis.
"War is not unavoidable. Religions never justify hatred and violence. Those using the name of God to destroy others move away from true religion," the appeal said.
"Those spreading terror, death and violence in the name of God must remember that peace is the name of God. God is stronger than those who want war, cultivate hatred and live on violence," it said.
This year's meeting was dedicated in a special way to Pope John Paul II, who launched the Assisi encounter as a way for religions to profess commitment to peace and who personally presided over the 1986 event.
Tributes to the late pope came from members of every faith.
"Pope John Paul II was the strongest voice of hope and justice that we've ever heard. He was a friend of the oppressed, the poor, the sick and the hungry, and a defender of the dignity of every human being," said Mohammed Amine Smaili, a professor of Islamic dogma in Morocco.
Rabbi Rene Samuel Sirat, the former chief rabbi of France, enumerated Pope John Paul's overtures to Jews and said: "May the remembrance of this faithful friend of the Jewish people be a source of blessings forever."
Pope Benedict XVI sent a message supporting the interfaith meetings, saying his predecessor had come up with a "prophetic" initiative in an age when religion is sometimes used as a pretext for violence.
Cardinal Walter Kasper, the Vatican's top ecumenist, told Catholic News Service that the "spirit of Assisi" introduced 20 years earlier had had an important, though not always visible, impact in the world.
"Prayer is already a lot, because peace starts in the hearts of people, just as war does. So promoting peace through prayer does make a difference," he said.
Later in the day, Cardinal Kasper told the assembly that it was naive to believe that problems can be solved through missiles, bombs and grenades.
"War does not lead to peace. War is often the mother of other wars. These wars create more terrorists than the ones that are eliminated," he said.
Many speakers focused on the challenge posed by current conflicts around the world. But others, like Mozambican Archbishop Jaime Goncalves of Beira, pointed to some positive results of the prayer-for-peace movement. It was the spirit of Assisi and the Sant'Egidio Community, he said, that set in motion peace talks between the government and rebels in his country, leading to a peace agreement in 1992.
French Cardinal Paul Poupard, head of the pontifical councils for Interreligious Dialogue and for Culture, said the Assisi meeting wanted to demonstrate once again that religions, often accused of fomenting hatred and causing violence, are not the problem but part of the solution.
Most participants expressed the fundamental conviction that all true religions lead to peace and reconciliation. But the chronic violence and historic hostilities in the Middle East -- including religious antagonisms -- were reflected in the speeches of several participants.
"There can be no doubt that religion and religious commitment are the root and reason for the conflicts that plague the Middle East today," said Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen of Haifa, Israel.
He said "fundamental Islam" today seems to inspire "warriors and terrorists that are ready to commit suicide" in God's name. These Muslims believe the Holy Land belongs only to them, he said. To illustrate his point, he noted the recent firing of rockets by the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah against Haifa.
But even if faith and religion are at the root of the Middle East problem, they also offer the way to a peaceful solution through dialogue, the rabbi said.
Ahmad al-Tayyeb, rector of the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, the oldest and most prestigious university in the Muslim world, delivered a critique of the West and unnamed countries that he said are adding to people's oppression and suffering "under the false cover of treaties and international organizations."
He said these "disordered civilizations" have turned away from religion and are oriented totally toward satisfying the individual's needs.
Al-Tayyeb said Islam was widely misunderstood today. It is a religion of peace, he said, as shown by the simple fact that Muslims reflect five times a day on the meaning of the word "peace" when they pray.
"History and the present reality do not demonstrate that populations have been made miserable by Muslim civilizations, or subjected to fear, hunger or death," he said.
A parallel point was made by Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, who noted that Jews also specifically invoke peace in their daily prayers.
"I take this opportunity to condemn the publication of cartoons that are disrespectful to the prophet of Islam, peace be with him. Every action which offends believers should be prohibited," the rabbi said.
"In the same way, I expect Muslim leaders to condemn any Muslim political leader who makes fun of the Holocaust and asks that a state be erased," he said, referring to comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Not all the testimonials were about war and conflict. Tamara Chikunova came from Uzbekistan to thank the Assisi organizers for their work against the death penalty and their solidarity when her son was executed by a firing squad.
Inspired by the Sant'Egidio Community, Chikunova dedicated her energies to abolishing the death penalty in her country. Last year, Uzbekistan's president signed a decree ending capital punishment as of Jan. 1, 2008.
END
Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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