SFA-AGR-273-08

PONTIFF BOOSTS RP’S INTERFAITH INITIATIVE IN WORLD BODY

21 April 2008 – In his address before the 62^nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Pope Benedict XVI urged the world body to support inter-religious dialogue as a means to help the UN’s objective in the achievement of peace, development and human rights.

Philippine Permanent Representative Hilario Davide Jr. led Filipino diplomats in lauding the Pontiff’s reference to inter-religious dialogue, which underscores the relevance and urgency of the Philippine initiative that was launched four years ago.

“The subject of interfaith dialogue is very dear to the Philippines because it is the leading proponent of this initiative in the United Nations,” stated Ambassador Davide. “The Pope’s message goes to show that the Philippines is proceeding on the right track.”

For almost 60 years, the UN had avoided the consideration of the role of religions in the attainment of the goals of the UN, until the General Assembly’s adoption in 2004 of the resolution introduced by the Philippines on interfaith dialogue as another option in realizing a durable peace.

In what is only the third time that the leader of the Roman Catholic Church addressed the General Assembly, the Pope stated that the UN should support inter-religious dialogue “just as it supports dialogue in other areas of human activity.”

According to His Holiness, “Dialogue should be recognized as the means by which the various components of society can articulate their point of view and build consensus around the truth concerning particular values or goals.”

“The United Nations can count on the results of dialogue between religious and can draw fruit from the willingness of believers to place their experiences at the service of the common good,” the Holy Father said. “Their task is to propose a vision of faith not in terms of intolerance, discrimination and conflict but in terms of complete respect for truth, coexistence, rights and reconciliation.”

“The United Nations remains a privileged setting in which the Church is committed to contributing her experience “of humanity”, developed over the  centuries among peoples of every race and culture and placing it at the disposal of all members of the international community,” the Pontiff continued.

Ambassador Davide noted that all the topics discussed by the Holy Father in his address are multilaterally agreed agenda items with the exception of interfaith dialogue, the only state-driven initiative highlighted by the Pontiff that has gained broad support from member-states, including the Vatican State.

Ambassador Davide said, “As the initiator of this dialogue process, the Philippines is urging all countries to take advantage of this opportunity and show their support in the various initiatives of the Philippines in putting forward this useful, vibrant and dynamic alternative.

The Philippines is the recognized proponent of interfaith dialogue in the United Nations having launched the initiative in 2004 with the Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace followed by the Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace.

The Philippines also introduced four General Assembly resolutions in interfaith dialogue, which includes the resolution entitled “Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace that was co-sponsored by 58 countries and adopted by consensus by the  UN General Assembly in December.

The salient features of the resolution are the declaration of the year 2010 as the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures; the designation of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Support and Coordination under the Department of Economic and Social Affairs as the focal unit in the UN Secretariat on Interreligious and Intercultural Matters; and the emphasis given to the need to sustain the momentum generated by the 4-5 October 2007 High-Level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace.

Ambassador Davide stated that the Philippine interfaith initiative stands out among several other similar UN initiatives, such as the Alliance of Civilizations that espouses calls for the involvement of the most influential sector of society – the religious and faith leaders. END. 

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