International Meeting of Prayer for Peace

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Cyprus hosted the International Meeting for Peace "The Civilisation of Peace: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue" November 16-18, 2008. The meeting was attended by religious leaders, heads of state and representatives of different cultures as well as intellectuals, secular believers, journalists from the international media. The meeting was organised by the Community of Sant'Egidio in cooperation with the Church of Cyprus.

On the final day of the meeting, the delegates gave an appeal for peace[1]. Religious leaders handled the Appeal in the hands of children of various nationalities. The children, on behalf of all generations, gave it to ambassadors and authorities representing all nations of the world.

APPEAL (direct quote)

"Men and women of different religions and cultures, we gathered in Cyprus, this beautiful and wounded island, to pray, to dialogue, to foster the growth of a civilization of peace, which the world needs to avoid becoming inhuman. We experienced days of peace, confident that peace is possible.

We are at a difficult point in history. Many certainties are shaken by the economic crisis that has seized our world. Many people are pessimistic about the future. Richer countries focus on protecting their own citizens. A very high price of the crisis will be paid for by the poorest of the world. We are deeply concerned about the millions of old and new poor people, victims of a market thought of as almighty.

Too many people suffer in this world of ours, from war, poverty and violence. No one should be happy in a world full of suffering. No one should close his heart to compassion. We share the sorrow of peoples which are held hostages by war, of those who were forced to flee from their homes by ethnic hatred or nationalism, of those who were kidnapped or are missing. Many people, too many, are suffering.

This is not the time to surrender to pessimism, it is time to heed the sorrow of people, and to work for the foundation of a new world order of peace. The quest for justice, the use of dialogue, and respect for the weak are the tools we need to build this new world order. We need a surplus of spirit and a greater sense of humanity! A world without a soul will soon become inhuman.

Regardless of their differences, our religious traditions strongly testify that a world with no spirit will never be human: they cry out that spirit and humanity should never be trampled on by war; they beg for peace. They want peace, they beg for it, they implore peace from God through prayer. Religions are aware that talking of war in God’s name is meaningless and blasphemous. They are convinced a better humanity will never come from violence and terrorism. They do not share the pessimistic belief in the inevitable clash of religions and civilizations. Religions hope and pray that a true community of peace will be established among peoples and within humanity.

No human being, no people, no community is an island. Everyone needs somebody else; everyone needs the friendship, forgiveness, and help of someone else. We share a common global destiny: either we live together in peace or we perish. War is never inevitable and it piles up ruins even in the hearts of winners.

No hatred, no conflict, no wall can resist the power of prayer, forgiveness, and patient love leading to dialogue. Dialogue does not generate weakness, rather it grants new strength. It is the real alternative to violence. Nothing is lost with dialogue. Anything can become possible. Here in Cyprus, therefore, we pray that every injustice, war and evil may soon be swept away, and brotherhood among peoples be restored, starting from this island and spreading to the Middle East, to Africa, Latin America, and the whole world.

May God grant the world the wonderful gift of peace, through the prayer of all believers!

This is not the utopia of heaven on earth, it is our duty to build a more human world. Spirit and brotherhood will make this world possible. No war is ever holy. Peace alone is holy!

May God grant the world the wonderful gift of peace, through the prayer of all believers!

Cyprus, 18 November 2008"

Participants

Participant Affiliation
Abbas El-Halabi Comunità Drusa, Libano
Abdoul Aziz Kebe Università di Dakar, Senegal
Abdul Hadi Kadhim Al-Hussaini Segretario generale della Honored Sada Association, Iraq
Abuna Paulos Patriarch of the orthodox Church of Ethiopia
Adriano Roccucci
Agostino Giovagnoli Community of Sant’Egidio
Aisha Yousef Al-Menn'ai Dean of the Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, Qatar
Alain Giorgio Maria Economides Capo di Gabinetto del Ministro degli Esteri, Italia
Alberto Bobbio Gionalista vaticanista, Italia
Alexander Ogorodnikov Witness of the Gulag Deportations, Russian Federation
Ali Khalid Sarmad Comunità Sunnita, Iraq
Ambrogio Spreafico
Andon Merdani Orthodox Bishop of the Church of Albania
Andrea Masullo University of Camerino, Italia
Andrea Riccardi Founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio
Andreas Theophanous Università di Nicosia, Cipro
Antonio Ferrari Columnist, Italy
Antonios Naguib Patriarca di Alessandria, Chiesa Copto-Cattolica
Aram I Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians
Arie Zeev Raskin Rabbi of Larnaca, Cyprus
Armand Puig Dean of the Theological Faculty of Catalonia, Spain
Asmaa Benkada Al-Jazeera TV Program Producer, Qatar
Augusto Forti Vice Presidente di Ideasolidarité, Francia
Bamir Topi President of the Republic of Albania
Bernard Sabella Member of Palestinian Legislative Council
Celestin Twizere Community of Sant’Egidio, Rwanda
Christina Lee Movimento dei Focolari
Christine Boutin Minister of Housing and City Affaires, France
Christodoulos Lazaris Ministero degli Affari Esteri di Grecia
Chrysostomos II Archbishop of New Justiniana and All Cyprus
Ciprian Vescovo ortodosso, Patriarcato di Romania
Claudio Hummes Cardinale, Prefetto della Congregazione per il Clero
Cornelio Sommaruga Presidente emerito del Comitato della Croce Rossa Internazionale, Svizzera
Crescenzio Sepe Cardinal, Archbishop of Naples, Italy
Daniel Deckers Giornalista, Germania
Daniela Pompei Community of Sant’Egidio
David Brodman Chief Rabbi of Savyon, Israel
David Hamid
David Rosen Rabbi, Chairman of IJCIC, Israel
Dimitris Christofias President of the Republic of Cyprus
Edgar Busuttil Jesuit, Director of the Jesuit Centre Faith and Justice, Malta
Edward Fenech-Adami Presidente della Repubblica di Malta
Eleni Theocharous Member of the House of Representatives of Cyprus
Elias Chacour Archbishop of the Melchite Greek Catholics, Israel
Emma Fattorini University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy
Eugenio Guasta Responsabile per la Cultura dell'Arcidiocesi di Buenos Aires, Argentina
Faisal Mawlawi Segretario generale Gruppo Islamico del Libano
Filip Vujanovic President of the Republic of Montenegro
Francis Martin-Xavier Campbell Ambasciatore del Regno Unito e Irlanda del Nord presso la Santa Sede
Françoise Rivière Director General Adj. of UNESCO
Frank De Coninck Ambasciatore del Regno del Belgio presso la Santa Sede
Frank Otfried July Vescovo della Chiesa Evangelica del Württemberg, Germania
Gensho Hozumi President of the Tendai Buddhist Denomination, Japan
Georgios Othodox Metropolitan, Church of Cyprus
Gérard Testard President of Fondacio, France
Gijun Sugitani Supreme Advisor to the Tendai Buddhist Denomination, Japan
Gregorios Arcivescovo ortodosso, Patriarcato Ecumenico
Guy Harpigny Vescovo cattolico, Belgio
Guzmán Carriquiry Sotto-Segretario del Pontificio Consiglio per i Laici, Santa Sede
Hassan Hanafi Università del Cairo, Egitto
Heinrich Mussinghoff Catholic Bishop, Germany
Ibrahim Chamseddine Ministro di Stato per la Riforma Amministrativa, Libano
Ingrid Betancourt Pulecio Witness, Colombia
Israel Singer World Jewish Congress, USA
Jacques Huntzinger Ambassador, France
Jakov Ebert Rabbi of Würzburg, Germany
James Wuye Pastore, Joint Executive National Coordinator, Nigeria
Jean Benjamin Sleiman
Jean Claude Petit President of the National Centre of the Catholic Press of France
Jean Dominique Durand University of Lyon, France
Jean-Arnold de Clermont President of the Conference of European Churches (CEC)
Jean-François Leguil-Bayart Director of Research to CNSR, France
Jean-Pierre Ricard Cardinal, Archbishop of Bordeaux, France
Jesus Delgado General Vicar of the Diocese of San Salvador
Joachim Gnilka Catholic theologian, Germany
Joan Enric Vives I Sicìlia Vescovo cattolico, Spagna
John C. A. Barrett Presidente del Conseglio Methodista Mondiale
John J. DeGioia President of the Georgetown University, USA
Jürgen Johannesdotter Evangelical Bishop, Germany
Kansho Kayaki Buddismo Tendai, Giappone
Katherine Marshall Senior Advisor of the World Bank, USA
Khadija Bengana
Kinjiro Niwano Consigliere esecutivo di Rissho Kosei-kai, Giappone
Kone Idriss Koudouss President of the Islamic National Council of Cote D’Ivoire
Krystof Primate Ortodosso della Chiesa delle Terre Ceche e della Slovacchia
Laurent Ulrich Arcivescovo cattolico di Lille, Vice presidente Conferenza Episcopale Francese
Leonardo Sandri Cardinale, Prefetto della Congregazione per le Chiese Orientali
Louis Sako Vescovo cattolico dei Caldei, Iraq
Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim Metropolitan of the Syrian Orthodox Church
Marc Stenger Catholic Bishop, France
Marie Vladimir Gaudrat Abate di Lérins, Francia
Mario Giro Comunità di Sant’Egidio
Mario Marazziti Community of Sant’Egidio
Marios Garoyian Presidente del Parlamento di Cipro
Martin Lind
Mary Tanner Co-Presidente del WCC
Masahiko Iburi Tenrikyo, Giappone
Masamichi Tanaka Oomoto Denomination, Japan
Matteo Zuppi Comunità di Sant'Egidio
Meir Sheetrit Ministro dell'Interno, Israele
Michel Kubler
Mikko Heikka Vescovo luterano, Finlandia
Mohammad Sammak Political Advisor to the Grand Mufti of Lebanon
Mohammed Amine Smaili University of Rabat, Morocco
Mohammed Esslimani Islamic theologian, Saudi Arabia
Mohinder Singh National Institute of Panjab Studies, New Delhi
Moriyasu Ito Jiniya Honcho Shinto, Japan
Muhammad Ashafa Imam, Joint Executive National Coordinator, Nigeria
Muhammad Fathi Osman Institute for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World, USA
Oded Wiener Director General of the Grand Rabbinate, Israel
Ole Chr. M. Kvarme Lutheran Bishop, Norway
Paul Lacey Presidente dell' American Friends Service Committee, USA
Paul Poupard Cardinale, Presidente emerito del Pontificio Consiglio della Cultura, Santa Sede
Paul Yazigi
Paul Yemboaro Ouédraogo Vescovo cattolico, Burkina Faso
Paul Youssef Matar Arcivescovo cattolico dei Maroniti, Libano
Pier Luigi Celata Vescovo, Segretario del Pontificio Consiglio per il Dialogo Interreligioso, Santa Sede
Pierbattista Pizzaballa Custodian of the Holy Land
Raj K. Srivastava Study Centre for Society Development, India
Renato Raffaele Martino Cardinal, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Holy See
Robert Palmer Director of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage, Council of Europe
Salah A. Zuheika Vice Ministro degli Waqf, Autorità Palestinese
Samuel Robert Azariah Vescovo della Chiesa Unita del Pakistan
Sattar Al-Hilo Presidente dei Mandei in Iraq e nel mondo, Iraq
Sayyed Mohammad Ali Abtahi Presidente dell’Istituto per il Dialogo Interreligioso, Iran
Serafim Orthodox Metropolitan, Romanian Patriarchate
Serafim Orthodox Metropolitan, Romanian Patriarchate
Seraphim Kykkotis Arcivescovo ortodosso, Patriarcato di Alessandria
Serge Latouche University of Paris XI, France
Setriakor K. Nyomi Segretario Generale dell’Alleanza Riformata Mondiale
Shear-Yashuv Cohen Chief Rabbi of Haifa, Israel
Siti Musdah Mulia University Islam Syarief Hidayatullah of Indonesia
Sohan Lal Gandhi Presidente dell’ Anuvrat Global Organization, India
Sri Sri Ravishankar Fondatore dell'Art of Living Foundation, India
Stanislaw Dziwisz Cardinal, Archbishop of Cracow, Poland
Sylvie Bukhari de Pontual Activist for the abolition of the torture, France
Takao Ina Rinzai Zen Buddhism, Japan
Tamara Chikunova Activist for the abolition of the death penalty, Uzbekistan
Tarcisio Bertone Cardinale, Segretario di Stato, Santa Sede
Tarek Mitri
Theodore Edgar Mc Carrick Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, USA
Theodoros II Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa
Theodoros Kassimis Vice-ministro degli Affari Esteri, Grecia
U Uttara Buddhist monk, Burma
Vincenzo Paglia Catholic Bishop, Italy
Vincenzo Scotti Sottosegretario di Stato agli Affari Esteri, Italia
Wahiduddin Khan President of the Islamic Centre of New Delhi, India
Walter Kasper Cardinal, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christians’ Unity, Holy See
William Chapman Direttore delle Politiche della Tony Blair Faith Fondation
Yoshitaka Hatakeyama Vice segretario generale del WCRP-Japan
Yusho Sasaki Buddismo Soto Zen, Giappone

References