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Chinese Bishop Calls for Purity of Religion
Chinese bishop Michael Fu Tieshan proposed at the United Nations headquarters on August 29 to world religious leaders that all faiths in the world hold high the banner of peace and safeguard the purity of religious freedom.
The religious circles across the globe should also follow the principles of religious forgiveness and reconciliation and create an environment of harmonious co-existence, he said in a key-note speech to the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders.
He put forward these propositions on behalf of the leaders of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestant and Catholic Churches, who are present at the meeting.
"We have noticed that in today's world, wars and poverty are still running amok as in the past and mankind is still suffering from unbearable agonies," he said.
In some regions where conflicts frequently occur, he said, the religious leaders' painstaking efforts in appealing for peace have, nevertheless, failed in the endless smoke of gunpowder and fire of war.
"At present, there are still many violent and evil activities going on 'in the name of religion'. Some people have made use of religious differences to fuel ethnic feuds and provoke so-called conflicts of civilizations; some want to trample upon the sovereignty of other countries under the pretext of 'protecting religious human rights,'" he said.
"Some people want to fish for fame by deceiving the world under the cloak of religion and go in for separatist activities, and there are even some people who have abused the name of religion by desecrating religion and slaughtering lives," he said.
"As religions leaders, we feel extremely distress about all these," he told the assembly of nearly 2,000.
He said that as advocated by various religions, benevolence, fraternity, forgiveness and reconciliation represent a valuable spiritual source for mankind to safeguard peace.
"Let us pray for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, respect the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, and from now on, guard against and put an end to anything that taint and desecrate religious purity," he said.
The bishop said, "We must face up to the differences in religious beliefs and civilizations, respect each other and seek common ground while reserving differences. And we should increase exchanges and facilitate dialogues between various civilizations and religious faiths, promote mutual understanding and realize reconciliation."
"Do not do unto others what you do not want to be done unto yourself, and we must oppose the idea and practice of 'imposing upon others whatever you want,'" he said.
Briefing the participants on the religious situation in China, Bishop Fu said that over several millennia, highlighting peace has become the most important humanistic spirit in the traditional Chinese culture, which has helped the Chinese nation to take an open and tolerant stance toward different religions and different cultures, he said.
The different religions in China have formed in such a tolerant environment a good tradition of pursuing harmony and advocating peace among each other. "Cruel religious war has never occurred in the long history of China," he said.
"Today in China, facts and other practice genuinely reflect the
harmony between different religions. And under the protection of the Constitution and other laws, we enjoy comprehensive and full religious freedom," he said.
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