My neighbour's faith and mine - Documents - Kobia

DOCUMENTS

Speech by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia,
International colloquium "An end to tolerance?" (
Monday, 14 November 2005

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Ecumenical Centre which, apart from being the headquarters of the WCC, is also the home for many Christian organizations and several NGOs. As the most inclusive ecumenical movement whose goal is to seek Christian unity,the WCC brings together more than 340 churches, denominations and church fellowships in over 100 countries, representing some 561 million Christians and including most of the world's Orthodox churches, denominations from the historic traditions of the Protestant Reformation: Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed, as well as United and Uniting Churches and African-Instituted Churches. While the bulk of the WCC's founding churches in 1948 was European and North American, today most of her members are from the global south; Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific.

For her member churches, the WCC is a space which enables people to reflect, speak, act, worship and work together, challenge and support, share and debate with each other.

The commitment to interreligious dialogue and relations is a consequence of our commitment to serving human need, breaking down barriers between people, seeking justice, peace and reconciliation, and upholding the integrity of creation. We are not alone in this vocation. People of other faiths share with us the dream of a better world; a world where all people will live in peace, experience justice and fullness of life lived in dignity in participatory and reconciled communities. Today, more than ever, we Christians are realising that in pursuing this vision we have allies in our neighbours of other faiths.

The inter-religious event, which we have experienced these last days in Geneva, is an example of the attempt to break down barriers, to get to know the other and to discover each other as people committed, in our own specific ways, to explore, respond, and relate to what is ultimate in life. We experience others as people committed, even as we are, to the pursuit of religious goals and moral values. As we grow closer together, we recognise that we need to know and to be known by the other. We also see the importance of the other to know us better. We have begun to appreciate the richness of the spirituality and values that we mutually share and bring to our common life.

It is in this spirit that we want to not only learn from each other but seek ways of co-operation in addressing the ills of society and of the broken world. That which we can do together, we should not do separately! Today this ecumenical maxim has great relevance for inter-religious living. A multifaith text, which is available to the participants, and which had its origin in a multifaith working group convened by the WCC, emphasizes this point: “We recognize that our traditions are indeed built on profound understandings of the meaning of human existence. We are inheritors of the insights, wisdom, and values handed down to us by saints and sages through the ages. We acknowledge the role religions have played in fostering, compassion, and selflessness in the pursuit of peace. We treasure the contribution our traditions have made to the struggles against injustices and in the affirmation of human worth and dignity.” And yet, as the text continues: “… we also acknowledge with sadness the ambiguity of all our traditions, whether as movements or institutions, that participate in the vicissitudes of human life.”

At its forthcoming assembly next year under the theme, “God, in your grace, transform the world”, WCC will highlight and emphasize interreligious relations and dialogue as a major concern about what it means to be a Christian today. We believe that the theme of the Assembly lends itself as a calling for increased relations and co-operation with people of different faiths. The world needs transformation and, by working together, we could hasten the time for the realization of that noble goal. In the last decade, the issue of interreligious relations and dialogue has gained greater currency and significance. In the 21st century, the emerging role of religion in the political domain signifies a new epoch in comparison with what was predicted by many in the 1970s, when religion was rather relegated to the very private sphere of the individual. The increased awareness of religious plurality, the potential role of religion in peace-building, and the growing recognition of the place of religion in public life present immense challenges that require deeper understanding and inter-faith co-operation.

Today, the call for dialogue as a way of resolving conflict, as a way of soothing tensions, and as a way of offering a space where divisive issues could be discussed, is heard ever more loudly. Religious leaders are being challenged to more effectively exercise their ethical responsibility in addressing situations which could threaten peace and coexistence. The European Union is encouraging projects involving different ethnic and/or religious groups in Europe in order to promote mutual understanding, respect and tolerance between these groups, through the direct and active involvement of citizens at local and regional level. In many parts of the world, churches also are welcoming the possibilities to engage with people of other faiths, trying to build sustainable relationships and promote better and harmonious living in plural communities.

The colloquium we are opening is devoted to the issue of tolerance. The topic is acutely relevant today: more than ever before, we are challenged to establish a good society in which the equality of all its citizens is affirmed, where there is a commitment to create spaces for enhancing the integrity of the other, and where there is no room for marginalization of anyone. In the course of our deliberations, there will be a wide array of voices and opinions on the issue and role of tolerance. It is obvious that respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of all our cultures and religious traditions must direct us in our understanding of tolerance. Tolerance must be based on knowledge, openness, communication and freedom of thought, freedom of conscience and ideas. Human rights play an integral part of any discussion on tolerance. Tolerance is not only a moral obligation, but also a political and legal requirement. And yet, there is a higher calling for us to strive to go beyond tolerance to full acceptance of all, where the dignity of difference is not only celebrated but actualized in real situations where people live together.

I hope that the conversation today will enable us to understand better how much we can learn from each other and that the reflections from the panels and the dialogue with those of you who have come to take part in this dialogue will enable us in our different communities to realise the full potential of working together for a society and a world that appreciates diversity and sees plurality as an added value.