“Peace between religions is a fundamental prerequisite for peace between peoples and cultures,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew points out in his recorded message to the International Conference on “Religion in the Modern World: Challenges and Prospects for Dialogue and Peace”, which is co-organized by “Foreign Affairs The Hellenic Edition” magazine and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
In his message, the Ecumenical Patriarch underlines, inter alia, that “religions must develop their peacekeeping function more effectively, and we repeat that” Violence and war in the name of religion and God is violence and war against religion and God.”
He added that it is unacceptable for religious representatives to appear as preachers of fanaticism, to rekindle the flame of hatred and to allow, frivolously, to be used by various scholars for foreign, non-peaceful, purposes.
“It was rightly said that ‘the Gordian bond of peace cannot be solved by the sword of Alexander the Great. Peace is an eternal problem and a task that is never fulfilled, never guaranteed forever and requires constant struggle. We are doomed to the struggle and the agony for peace.’ We commend and support every sincere initiative for peace, and we are constantly striving for the dialogue of religions and for strengthening their contribution to solidarity,” the Patriarch also said.
