Religious Leaders Urged to Prevent Religions From Being Misused

A religions leader Tuesday said people of different religious persuasions, religious leaders in particular, need to join hands to adequately address the current problems and challenges in the world, and that they must shoulder the duty to prevent their religions from being misused.

The statement was contained in a speech delivered at the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders by Francis Cardinal Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

"There are problems and challenges which demand collaboration between people of different religious persuasions, if they are to be adequately addressed," he said.

"Some people abuse or exploit religion in order to promote violence," he said. "Often their real motivations are political, economic or ethnic in nature."

"It may be a question of injustices suffered by past generations and hitherto not adequately healed," he said. "It could be a case of sheer selfishness, greed or pride."

"People of religion, especially religious leaders, have a duty to see that religion is not misused in this way."

"There is also the challenge of poverty. The homeless, the unemployed, the sick and those groaning under the burden of grinding poverty, crushing underdevelopment or even heavier external debts -- these people are crying for attention if we are to install genuine peace," he said.

"Poverty not addressed can lead to dehumanization and despair," he said. "A hungry person can easily become an angry person and a ready tool in the hands of those who advocate violence and conflict."

"There is, moreover, the challenge of solidarity," he said. "Interdependence is a fact. We need one another at the level of individuals, professions, provinces, states, countries and cultures."

"When interdependence is freely accepted and generous lived, when it is not exploited or merely tolerated, evolves into the moral virtue of solidarity," he said. "Richer individuals and nations then better realize their duties toward the poorer because of the destination of earthly goods."

"Many religious bodies are showing their concern for the poor and are engaged in concrete action," he said. "Yet this is not enough. Pressure needs to be put on governments to respond more adequately in redressing the imbalances to be found in the world today."

"Collaboration between people of all the religions of the world is needed for the proper motivation of hearts and consciences, so that these problems and challenges can be faced effectively," he said.

The Millennium World Peace Summit Monday kicked off at the U.N. headquarters in New York, attracting more than 1,000 religious leaders worldwide, including seven top gurus of China's five major faith disciplines, who gathered here to forge partnerships of peace with the United Nations and each other.

All the world's major religions and faiths are represented at the event, "the millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders," the organizers said.

The four-day summit is expected to focus on four broad sets of issues: conflict transformation, elimination of poverty, forgiveness and reconciliation, and preservation and restoration of environment.

The summit brought together recognized religious and spiritual figures including religious leaders from current zones of conflict-- such as Sierra Leone, the Balkans, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Philippines, Rwanda and Sudan -- to discuss the roles they can play in reducing religious tensions, the organizers said.

People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/