Hundreds of representatives of world religions and politics are talking about peace in Berlin – and yet they are aware that it is currently far away in many places.
At the beginning of an international peace meeting in Berlin, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier justified arms deliveries to Ukraine. Steinmeier spoke of a dilemma for Christians like himself. But he also said: “If Ukraine stops defending itself, then that will be the end of Ukraine. And that is the reason why we Europeans and we Germans support Ukraine – even with weapons.”,
The three-day congress of the Christian Community of Sant’Egidio under the motto “Dare for Peace” is intended to bring up to 1,000 religious representatives from 33 countries into dialogue with politicians in Berlin. Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to take part in the discussion on Tuesday. At the opening event, the leaders of the Catholic and Protestant churches in Germany as well as representatives of Islam and Judaism promoted peace and human rights, as did the President of Guinea Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalò.
Steinmeier said about the Ukraine war that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack on February 24, 2022 “perhaps changed everything.” With his “campaign of destruction” Putin wants to destroy the values on which Europe is founded. “For us Europeans, taking a stand against this is one of the lessons we learned from the catastrophe of the Second World War. This lesson (…) means: “Never again!”,” said Steinmeier.
Criticism of religious support for war and violence
Like Steinmeier, the chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Georg Bätzing, also criticized religious representatives’ support for war and violence – apparently also with a view to the Russian Orthodox Church, which supports the war against Ukraine. Bätzing said: “A Christian church legitimizes a war against a neighboring country. That is unacceptable.” All religions have “given in to the demons of peacelessness and violence” at different times. Self-criticism is essential for religions to be credible as agents of peace.
The chairwoman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Annette Kurschus, said: “The EKD condemns the Russian war of aggression. I am convinced that both are needed, a strong Ukraine that can defend itself and its freedom, and an effort to enter into dialogue come to silence the weapons and put an end to the thousands of deaths.”
In addition, Kurschus called for a statement against the violation of human rights: “Hateful, inhumane, racist, ethnic-nationalist, anti-Semitic or Islamophobic statements are not compatible with God’s love.”
Criticism of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University
Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University, criticized burnings of the Quran in some countries. This is senseless, aggressive behavior against billions of believers for whom the Koran is sacred. The imam also criticized the Western world’s silence about injustices against the Palestinian people.
The Community of Sant’Egidio was founded in Rome in 1968 and has since developed into a network of Christian laypeople with tens of thousands of followers. In some conflicts, the community tries to actively mediate.
Source: Stern
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