From the outset, the meeting of Assisi was a mosaic of races, nationalities and beliefs. All together to show the world that it is possible to dialogue and respect each other despite diversity.
BARTHOLOMEW I
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
'Come and let us look one to another in the eyes and let us then see what we have to say to another.â?
The principal leader of the Orthodox Church, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, was joined by Polish philosopher, Zygmunt Bauman and the bishop of Rouen, where the priest Jacques Hamel, was killed by two terrorists.
In total, there are over 500 participants including four Nobel Laureates, UN representatives, the chief rabbis of Turkey and Brussels, Orthodox, Protestant, Hindu and Muslim delegations from around the world. Also present, were the representatives for the Grand Mufti of Lebanon and Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
The representatives of nine religions had a clear message: to denounce fundamentalism as an instrumentality of God.
MSGR. MIGUEL ANGEL AYUSO GUIXOT
Secretary, Pontifical Council Interreligious Dialogue
'Religions are not the cause of the problem but part of the solution; therefore religious leaders have the responsibility to come together, meet to propose values.â?
Pope Francis says the world is bleeding in a time of 'piecemeal Third World War.â? Not just by two fragments, but hundreds of conflicting positions fighting each other.
To end this situation, the pope follows in the footsteps of his predecessors John Paul II in 1986 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2011. The current pontiffs visit and encounter with the leaders of other religions, gives a firm message of unity in diversity in a world unable to communicate.
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