Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06VATICAN194
2006-09-12 13:54:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Vatican
Cable title:
SANT'EGIDIO HOSTS 20TH ANNUAL INTER-FAITH CONFERENCE IN
how-toVZCZCXRO0066 PP RUEHAST DE RUEHROV #0194/01 2551354 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 121354Z SEP 06 FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0477 INFO RUCNWEC/WESTERN EUROPE AND CANADA COLLECTIVE RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE RUEHZU/ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION COLLECTIVE RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0505
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VATICAN 000194
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL SOCI PHUM VT
SUBJECT: SANT'EGIDIO HOSTS 20TH ANNUAL INTER-FAITH CONFERENCE IN
ASSISI
VATICAN 00000194 001.3 OF 003
-------
Summary
-------
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VATICAN 000194
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL SOCI PHUM VT
SUBJECT: SANT'EGIDIO HOSTS 20TH ANNUAL INTER-FAITH CONFERENCE IN
ASSISI
VATICAN 00000194 001.3 OF 003
--------------
Summary
--------------
1. (SBU) Catholic NGO the Community of Sant'Egidio brought
together religious representatives from many of the world's
faiths September 4-5 to find common ground in peace and
reconciliation. The Community's annual meeting was dedicated to
Pope John Paul II, who initiated the series of meetings twenty
years ago. Pope Benedict XVI submitted a speech for the event,
writing that prayer "does not divide, but unites" and that
religion must never be used as an excuse for violence. Most
participants expressed the fundamental conviction that all true
religions lead to peace and reconciliation. Panels on a variety
of topics focused on peace and reconciliation included
high-profile Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, and other
participants (see paragraph seven below). Sant'Egidio once
again showed its leadership in inter-religious dialogue and
peacemaking with the conference, offering important -- if
symbolic -- examples of inter-religious brotherhood. End
Summary.
--------------
Assisi Meeting
--------------
2. (U) Representatives of a variety of faiths gathered in
Assisi, Italy September 4-5 to mark the 20th anniversary of the
annual Inter-religious Prayer Meeting for Peace. This year's
meeting was dedicated to Pope Qhn Paul II, who launched the
Assisi encounter as a way for religions to profess their
commitment to peace. Pope Benedict XVI had met with
Sant'Egidio's founder shortly before the conference, and
endorsed the event by penning a message to meeting attendees.
He wrote that such gatherings were needed even more today, when
younger generations of all faith must learn the prayer "does not
divide, but unites" and that religion must never be used as an
excuse for violence.
3. (U) Reflecting on the 20 years since the first Assisi
gathering, Pope Benedict wrote that the fall of European
communism and the promise of a more cooperative globalized
economy generated hope for a new era of peace. "Unfortunately,
this dream of peace did not come true. On the contrary, the
third millennium opened with scenarios of terrorism and violence
that no show no signs of dissolving," the pontiff wrote.
Speaking to reporters, the Holy See's ecumenical chief, Cardinal
Walter Kasper, said it was naove to believe that problems could
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.
--------------
Religion Leads to Peace
--------------
4. (U) This year's anniversary gathering, sponsored by the
Community of Sant'Egidio, the Diocese of Assisi, and the Umbrian
(Italy) Bishops Conference brought together representatives from
the three monotheistic religions as well as Eastern religions.
Most participants expressed the fundamental conviction that all
true religions lead to peace and reconciliation. The Vatican's
inter-religious dialogue chief, Cardinal Paul Poupard, said the
Assisi meeting wanted to demonstrate once again the religions,
often accused of fomenting hatred and causing violence, are not
the problem but rather part of the solution.
--------------
Middle Eastern Events
--------------
5. (U) Recent events in the Middle East preoccupied many who
attended the Assisi gathering. Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen of
Haifa, Israel said religion and religious commitment are at the
root and reasons for the conflicts that plague the region. He
accused fundamentalist Islam of inspiring terrorists ready to
commit suicide in God's name. However, the rabbi also noted
that faith and religion also offer the way to a peaceful
solution to the Middle East's problems through dialogue.
6. (U) Muslim voices critiqued the West as "disordered
civilizations" that had discarded religion and replaced it with
individualism. The rector of the Al-Azhar University in Cairo,
Egypt, Ahmad al-Tayyeg, said Islam was misunderstood and that it
was a religion of peace. He noted that throughout history,
VATICAN 00000194 002.3 OF 003
Muslim civilizations had never made people miserable, nor
subjected them to "fear, hunger or death." A panel on Lebanon
with no Israeli or U.S. participants (septel) offered harsh
criticism of the recent conflict, and detailed the destruction
of Lebanese infrastructure. There was relatively little mention
of Iraq at the conference, a change from Sant'Egidio's last
several annual events.
--------------
Speakers and Panels
--------------
7. (U) Below please find a list of conference speakers and
panel topics. Most of their speeches will be available on the
Sant'Egidio website (www.santegidio.org).
Session: Assisi 1986-2006
Speakers: Jean Dominique Durand, Mohammed Esslimani, Mar
Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, Giuseppe Laras, Gijun Sugitani
Session: Secular Humanism, a Challenge for Believers and
Non-Believers
Speakers: Giuliano Amato, Enzo Bianchi, Emma Fattorini, Arrigo
Levi, Pietro Scoppola
Session: Eurafrica, the Future We Need
Speakers: Marcel Honorat Leon Agboton, Blaise Compaore', Jean
Michel Debrat, Kpakile' Felemou, Mario Giro, Savino Pezzotta
Session: Family and Religions
Speakers: Athanasios, Jurgen Johannesdotter, Alfonso Lopez
Trujillo
Session: Longing for God: a Quest for Peace
Speakers: Riccardo Di Segni, Heinrich Mussinghoff, Jean Claude
Petit, Seraphim, Josep Maria Soler
Session: The Civilization of Coexistence in a Time of War
Speakers: Elias Chacour, Jean-Arnold de Clermont, Israel Singer
Session: The Future of Lebanon
Speakers: Abbas Halabi, Paul Matar, Seoud El Maoula, Tarek
Mitri, Mohammed Sammak, Ghassan Tueni
Session: 1986-2006: Building Peace and Solidarity is Possible
Speakers: Tamara Chikunova, Jesus Delgado, Antonio Ferrari
Session: John Paul II: Memory and Prophecy
Speakers: Renato Boccardo, Jurgen Johannesdotter, Walter Kasper,
Serafim, Rene Samuel Sirat, Mohammed Amine Smaili
Session: Love of God, Love for One's Neighbour
Speakers: Richard Chartres, Hasan Hanafi, Berl Lazar
Session: Globalizing Solidarity
Speakers: Asma Benkada, Cristina De Luca, Renzo Gattegna,
Agostino Marchetto
Session: Conflicts: a Challenge to Dialogue
Speakers: Gaspare Barbiellini Amidei, Francesco Cacucci, Shear-
Yashuv Cohen, John J. DeGioia, Paul Poupard
Session: Ecumenism: "How much further must we go?"
Speakers: Casian, Aldo Giordano, Jonas Jonson, Luka, Juha
Pihkala, Zakarian
Session: Prayer at the Root of Peace
Speakers: Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Laurentiu, Joseph Levi
Session: Making Poverty History
Speakers: Kjell Magne Bondevik, Pierre Dumas, Paul Lacey, Jean
Mbarga, Cornelio Sommaruga, Walter Veltroni
Session: Asian Religions: Inter-religious Dialogue and Passion
for Peace
Speakers: Keiichi Akagawa, Swami Amarandanda, Gensho Hozumi
--------------
Comment
--------------
8. (SBU) Sant'Egidio once again showed its leadership in
inter-religious dialogue and peacemaking with the Assisi
conference. The Community has a keen sense for optics; a young
woman from Uganda had the crowd's rapt attention when she took
the stage with a backdrop of the top religious leaders present
VATICAN 00000194 003.3 OF 003
to speak about recent strides for peace in her country. An
Italian Muslim woman then spoke eloquently of the need for
understanding between faiths. Finally, a visibly-moved Italian
President Napolitano joined the religious leaders in lighting a
group of candles for peace, symbolizing the common ground the
groups had found. Cynics might charge that such visuals are
mere window dressing next to the realities of violence and
terrorism. But in a world where sound bites and images
predominate, Sant'Egidio provided effective examples of both -
on the side of peace and reconciliation.
SANDROLINI
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL SOCI PHUM VT
SUBJECT: SANT'EGIDIO HOSTS 20TH ANNUAL INTER-FAITH CONFERENCE IN
ASSISI
VATICAN 00000194 001.3 OF 003
--------------
Summary
--------------
1. (SBU) Catholic NGO the Community of Sant'Egidio brought
together religious representatives from many of the world's
faiths September 4-5 to find common ground in peace and
reconciliation. The Community's annual meeting was dedicated to
Pope John Paul II, who initiated the series of meetings twenty
years ago. Pope Benedict XVI submitted a speech for the event,
writing that prayer "does not divide, but unites" and that
religion must never be used as an excuse for violence. Most
participants expressed the fundamental conviction that all true
religions lead to peace and reconciliation. Panels on a variety
of topics focused on peace and reconciliation included
high-profile Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, and other
participants (see paragraph seven below). Sant'Egidio once
again showed its leadership in inter-religious dialogue and
peacemaking with the conference, offering important -- if
symbolic -- examples of inter-religious brotherhood. End
Summary.
--------------
Assisi Meeting
--------------
2. (U) Representatives of a variety of faiths gathered in
Assisi, Italy September 4-5 to mark the 20th anniversary of the
annual Inter-religious Prayer Meeting for Peace. This year's
meeting was dedicated to Pope Qhn Paul II, who launched the
Assisi encounter as a way for religions to profess their
commitment to peace. Pope Benedict XVI had met with
Sant'Egidio's founder shortly before the conference, and
endorsed the event by penning a message to meeting attendees.
He wrote that such gatherings were needed even more today, when
younger generations of all faith must learn the prayer "does not
divide, but unites" and that religion must never be used as an
excuse for violence.
3. (U) Reflecting on the 20 years since the first Assisi
gathering, Pope Benedict wrote that the fall of European
communism and the promise of a more cooperative globalized
economy generated hope for a new era of peace. "Unfortunately,
this dream of peace did not come true. On the contrary, the
third millennium opened with scenarios of terrorism and violence
that no show no signs of dissolving," the pontiff wrote.
Speaking to reporters, the Holy See's ecumenical chief, Cardinal
Walter Kasper, said it was naove to believe that problems could
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.
--------------
Religion Leads to Peace
--------------
4. (U) This year's anniversary gathering, sponsored by the
Community of Sant'Egidio, the Diocese of Assisi, and the Umbrian
(Italy) Bishops Conference brought together representatives from
the three monotheistic religions as well as Eastern religions.
Most participants expressed the fundamental conviction that all
true religions lead to peace and reconciliation. The Vatican's
inter-religious dialogue chief, Cardinal Paul Poupard, said the
Assisi meeting wanted to demonstrate once again the religions,
often accused of fomenting hatred and causing violence, are not
the problem but rather part of the solution.
--------------
Middle Eastern Events
--------------
5. (U) Recent events in the Middle East preoccupied many who
attended the Assisi gathering. Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen of
Haifa, Israel said religion and religious commitment are at the
root and reasons for the conflicts that plague the region. He
accused fundamentalist Islam of inspiring terrorists ready to
commit suicide in God's name. However, the rabbi also noted
that faith and religion also offer the way to a peaceful
solution to the Middle East's problems through dialogue.
6. (U) Muslim voices critiqued the West as "disordered
civilizations" that had discarded religion and replaced it with
individualism. The rector of the Al-Azhar University in Cairo,
Egypt, Ahmad al-Tayyeg, said Islam was misunderstood and that it
was a religion of peace. He noted that throughout history,
VATICAN 00000194 002.3 OF 003
Muslim civilizations had never made people miserable, nor
subjected them to "fear, hunger or death." A panel on Lebanon
with no Israeli or U.S. participants (septel) offered harsh
criticism of the recent conflict, and detailed the destruction
of Lebanese infrastructure. There was relatively little mention
of Iraq at the conference, a change from Sant'Egidio's last
several annual events.
--------------
Speakers and Panels
--------------
7. (U) Below please find a list of conference speakers and
panel topics. Most of their speeches will be available on the
Sant'Egidio website (www.santegidio.org).
Session: Assisi 1986-2006
Speakers: Jean Dominique Durand, Mohammed Esslimani, Mar
Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, Giuseppe Laras, Gijun Sugitani
Session: Secular Humanism, a Challenge for Believers and
Non-Believers
Speakers: Giuliano Amato, Enzo Bianchi, Emma Fattorini, Arrigo
Levi, Pietro Scoppola
Session: Eurafrica, the Future We Need
Speakers: Marcel Honorat Leon Agboton, Blaise Compaore', Jean
Michel Debrat, Kpakile' Felemou, Mario Giro, Savino Pezzotta
Session: Family and Religions
Speakers: Athanasios, Jurgen Johannesdotter, Alfonso Lopez
Trujillo
Session: Longing for God: a Quest for Peace
Speakers: Riccardo Di Segni, Heinrich Mussinghoff, Jean Claude
Petit, Seraphim, Josep Maria Soler
Session: The Civilization of Coexistence in a Time of War
Speakers: Elias Chacour, Jean-Arnold de Clermont, Israel Singer
Session: The Future of Lebanon
Speakers: Abbas Halabi, Paul Matar, Seoud El Maoula, Tarek
Mitri, Mohammed Sammak, Ghassan Tueni
Session: 1986-2006: Building Peace and Solidarity is Possible
Speakers: Tamara Chikunova, Jesus Delgado, Antonio Ferrari
Session: John Paul II: Memory and Prophecy
Speakers: Renato Boccardo, Jurgen Johannesdotter, Walter Kasper,
Serafim, Rene Samuel Sirat, Mohammed Amine Smaili
Session: Love of God, Love for One's Neighbour
Speakers: Richard Chartres, Hasan Hanafi, Berl Lazar
Session: Globalizing Solidarity
Speakers: Asma Benkada, Cristina De Luca, Renzo Gattegna,
Agostino Marchetto
Session: Conflicts: a Challenge to Dialogue
Speakers: Gaspare Barbiellini Amidei, Francesco Cacucci, Shear-
Yashuv Cohen, John J. DeGioia, Paul Poupard
Session: Ecumenism: "How much further must we go?"
Speakers: Casian, Aldo Giordano, Jonas Jonson, Luka, Juha
Pihkala, Zakarian
Session: Prayer at the Root of Peace
Speakers: Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Laurentiu, Joseph Levi
Session: Making Poverty History
Speakers: Kjell Magne Bondevik, Pierre Dumas, Paul Lacey, Jean
Mbarga, Cornelio Sommaruga, Walter Veltroni
Session: Asian Religions: Inter-religious Dialogue and Passion
for Peace
Speakers: Keiichi Akagawa, Swami Amarandanda, Gensho Hozumi
--------------
Comment
--------------
8. (SBU) Sant'Egidio once again showed its leadership in
inter-religious dialogue and peacemaking with the Assisi
conference. The Community has a keen sense for optics; a young
woman from Uganda had the crowd's rapt attention when she took
the stage with a backdrop of the top religious leaders present
VATICAN 00000194 003.3 OF 003
to speak about recent strides for peace in her country. An
Italian Muslim woman then spoke eloquently of the need for
understanding between faiths. Finally, a visibly-moved Italian
President Napolitano joined the religious leaders in lighting a
group of candles for peace, symbolizing the common ground the
groups had found. Cynics might charge that such visuals are
mere window dressing next to the realities of violence and
terrorism. But in a world where sound bites and images
predominate, Sant'Egidio provided effective examples of both -
on the side of peace and reconciliation.
SANDROLINI