Message of the Catholicos of All Armenians at the Conference entitled “People as Brothers, Earth's Future: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue”
08.10.2021
On October 6-7, the 35th International Conference of the Leaders of the World's Main Religions, entitled “People as Brothers, Earth's Future: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue”, was held in Rome (Italy). Since 1986, this international gathering for peace and dialogue has been organized by the secular Community of Sant'Egidio operating under the auspices of the Catholic Church.
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians attend the conference, conveying His Blessings to the attendees.
Welcoming the participants of the regular conference on inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio, His Holiness conveyed His Blessings and appreciation to the organizers and initiators.
“…Despite our diverse historical experiences, the existence of religious, cultural and outlook differences, we are all children of one God, brothers and sisters united by the love of God. And our union of love in this diversity is the validating evidence of being a child of God. The awareness of the unconditional love of God is the foundation of mutual understanding, and of the conviction that all the people, as children of God, have the sacred right to peaceful, free and independent life, established by the Almighty. Actions that contradict these aspirations today narrow the possibilities and horizons of fully understanding and acknowledging one another. Such actions of the people, created by the same God, close their hearts and minds, blind their eyes and block their ears, making them indifferent to each other's pain, misfortunes, troubles and common global challenges.
There is no place for enmity and division in this God-given love and brotherhood, which to this day continue to challenge human society by wars and terrorism, religious hatred and discrimination. Every day many of our brothers and sisters in the world are exposed to various expressions of violence impelled by the mania for possession and injustice, which causes spiritual emptiness that generates hatred. The history of our nation, having survived Genocide, was often written with the blood of martyrs and witnesses to faith. Therefore, we know well the value of love, brotherhood, friendship of peoples, peaceful and secure life. And we sympathize with our brothers and sisters who are suffering; for as the apostle Paul said God "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26)”, - stated the Pontiff of All Armenians.
In his speech, the Catholicos of All Armenians reflected on the catastrophic ordeal that befell our people last year, the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh, the heavy losses and the consequences of the war.
Presenting the current alarming situation, His Holiness particularly spoke about the issue of the prisoners of war: “…Many have become prisoners of war, including innocent civilians, who continue to be exposed to humiliation and indescribable torture, despite continuous appeals of the international community, churches and church organizations, and humanitarian organizations to release them. We want to mention here that the warfare brought tragedy not only to our people but also to Azerbaijan, the country that unleashed the war, as they also had many casualties. The 44-days long bloody war was possible to stop only by the efforts of Mr. Vladimir Putin, the president of the Russian Federation and today the security of our people is guaranteed by the Russian peacekeepers. We believe that through the mediation mission of the OSCE Mink Group the Artsakh issue will be resolved and the people of Artsakh will be able to have a peaceful and free life in their homeland. The Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression against our people of Artsakh and such crimes against other nations must certainly be strictly condemned by all the international community so that such tragedies may not take place again in the lives of people”.
The Catholicos of All Armenians emphasized, that today, there is a need for global concern and global efforts to improve our common home, the planet Earth, for the peace to reign and to regulate our interactions towards happiness, in accordance with the message of our Savior: “Be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:49).
“…The ways of peace based on mutual understanding and acceptance are not easy, but always possible, if there is the will and aspiration to serve the global welfare and pursue peaceful and creative life with an honest and pure soul.
The children of our people living in the four corners of the earth in peaceful cohabitation with other nations, bring a great witness to the efficacy of the dialogue of cultures and religions and we believe that the prophetic words will be fulfilled thanks to love for each other and cooperation, when nations "shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks" (Isaiah 2:4).
We pray for hearts and minds of all people to open, reaffirming human beings in their true calling and purpose to be co-creators in the restoration of human life”, -stated the Armenian Patriarch.
In the conclusion, His Holiness asked, that God Bless all honest efforts for peace and solidarity among peoples.
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