Religions for Peace Concludes its 10th World Assembly Unifying to Protect Rainforests and Welcoming New Secretary General, Dr. Azza Karam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lindau, Germany) Religions for Peace (RfP) officially adopted the Declaration of the 10^th World Assembly, which will guide RfP and all affiliates in common action for peace for the next 5-7 years. The Declaration provides the following Call to Common Action:

Guided by the principles of our own religious traditions, and respectful of religious differences, we personally commit to fostering positive peace as Shared Well-Being. We will be partners with sincere believers of other religions and all women and men of good will to:

– Produce positive peace materials and workshops for multi-religious contexts with the Institute for Economics and Peace;
– Develop tools and training on the positive roles of women in preventing and transforming conflicts, and on the issue of violence against them;
– Acknowledge past hurts – including across religious traditions – and foster public acts of forgiveness and reconciliation;
– Work for the well-being of refugees and migrants and develop programs of accompaniment and support;
– Urge religious communities to invest their resources in alignment with achieving the SDGs;
– Raise public awareness about deforestation with the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative and through the acceptance and promotion of the Faith for Forests Declaration, take action against climate change in general and advocate for policies that protect the earth;
– Advance reconciliation as a vital dimension of positive Peace within persons and among communities and nations as per The Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation;
– Commit to being a full-partner to support the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons;
– Forge an Alliance of Virtue based on a declaration of virtues widely shared across religious traditions and other virtue heritages.

The Declaration was adopted by acclamation by all voting delegates.

After the adoption of the Declaration, the delegates moved in to the fourth Plenary with the theme of “Advancing Shared Well-Being by Protecting the Earth.” Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Sachs [Director, Center for Sustainable Development; Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General on the Sustainable Development Goals; International Trustee, RfP] led the session and called upon the audience to urgently and immediately change their behavior and lifestyles for the safeguarding of the environment. He emphasized four areas where the human family need to dramatically alter behavior: 1) the complete transformation from the use of fossil fuels to the use of renewable energy, 2) sustainable land use, 3) replace all human-used materials poisoning the land, water and soil such as plastics and fertilizers, and 4) dietary transformations to predominantly plant-based proteins.

Chief Rabbi Sir David Rosen [International Director of Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish; Co-President of RfP] said, “RfP should be an example of a sustainable lifestyle. As an assembly, we should be setting the example of a sustainable lifestyle for the world.”

Representatives from the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative presented Action Point 4 and read the “Faiths for Forests Declaration.” Ms. Sonia Guajajara [Leader, Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil] and Bishop Gunnar J. Stålsett [Bishop Emeritus of Oslo, Church of Norway; Honorary President, RfP] presented the Action Point, calling for religious communities to prioritize the issue of deforestation.

Ms. Guajajara said, “Protecting forests is an environmental concern, a climate concern, and a human rights concern. And now it needs to be a spiritual concern.”

The Closing Ceremony included a transfer of leadership from Dr. William Vendley to the incoming Secretary General, Dr. Azza Karam. Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi [Director of External Religions for the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers] led the ceremony, where close partners and friends of RfP gave a note of thanks to Dr. Vendley for his career, vision and leadership.

Chief Rabbi Sir David Rosen thanked Dr. Vendley for his deep rootedness in his own spiritual tradition and respect for others and all their unique identities.

Dr. Vinu Aram [Director, Shanti Ashram’ Co-Moderator, RfP] said, “What I cherish in [Dr. Vendley] is his ability to care. He has time for everyone and he cares for everyone. It is easy to stand in front as a leader, but it is not always easy to stand beside.” She concluded saying, “There are a million blessings to share if we learn to live together.”

Hon. Mehrézia Labidi-Maiza [First Vice-President, Constituent Assembly, Tunisia; Secretary, Association for Women’s Progress; Honorary President, RfP] informed the audience of a theme Dr. Vendley has continuously reiterated: that religious leaders need to adopt a “bilingualism” to speak both to their own religious communities and also to all people of good will. Hon. Labidi-Maiza was hesitant about this concept over 25 years ago when she met Dr. Vendley, but she concluded her remarks stating, “This language has not taken me out of my religion; it has brought me back to the heart of my religion,” drawing on RfP’s long experience of witnessing people growing in faith through the process of loving those of different backgrounds and spiritual traditions.

H.E. Dr. Mustafa Ceric [Raisu-L-Ulama Emeritus, Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Honorary President, RfP] met Dr. Vendley in Bosnia when the country desperately needed to build peace and reconciliation after the civil war in 1996 and they formed a lasting friendship. H.E. Ceric said, “Dr. Vendley taught us how to recognize the beauty of [unity in diversity]. If anyone must say thank you to Dr. Vendley, it is me. You don’t appreciate peace until you taste war; freedom until you know slavery; light until you know darkness; the friend until you need them.”

H.E. Metropolitan Emmanuel [Vice President, Conference of European Churches; Co-President, RfP] thanked Dr. Vendley for “the brotherhood [he] never came to know,” referring to Dr. Vendley as a true friend who has “opened a window to the world.”

H.E. Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje [Grand Mufti, Uganda Muslim Supreme Council Co-Moderator, African Council of Religious Leaders-RfP]concluded the remarks stating that, “Dr. Vendley is a visionary and great friend to the world. He leaves an indelible legacy. Your immense contribution will remain in the hearts of peace-loving people in the world.”

Priestess Beatriz Schulthess [President, Indigenous Peoples Ancestral Spiritual Council; Co-President, RfP], Rev. Nichiko Niwano [President, Risshō Kōsei Kai, Honorary President, RfP] and Mme. Cissé Hadja Mariama Sow [President, Muslim Women of Guinea; Co-President RfP] also offered heartfelt remarks. Many in the audience expressed a deep appreciation for the public expression of this gratitude to Dr. Vendley for his 27 years as Secretary General of RfP.

Equally as moving was Dr. Azza Karam’s first address to the RfP family as Secretary General. Dr. Karam is very familiar with the foundation on which RfP stands, as she formally served as the Director of the Global Women of Faith Network and Advisor on Middle East Interreligious dynamics in the RfP international secretariat office and in her deep experience tapping into the potential of global communities of faith. She said, “Compassion, mercy and love are the pillars on which RfP stands and must continue to stand.” She discussed her calling of servant leadership and encouraged all partners and affiliates to “ask great things of God.”

Her address centered around freedom of “religion, belief and consciousness.” Dr. Karam identified several themes to guide the coming years of RfPincluding peacebuilding, protection of the Earth, mainstreaming gender and education. These themes will be further discussed and integrated in the coming months and years of RfP.

After the conclusion of her speech, Dr. Vendley was gifted an RfPflag, covered with the signatures of all in attendance. He was then given a flag with no names on it to gift to Dr. Karam, with the assumption that she would collect these names and experiences throughout her leadership of RfP.