Nostra Aetate - In Our Time

5 et me start by saying salaam alaikum, peace be among all of you. Your Eminence, Your Excellencies, esteemed religious leaders, ladies and gen- tlemen, ambassadors, dear friends. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) for the discussion of Nostra Aetate and its impact on interreligious relations over the past 50 years. We are deeply honoured to welcome to today’s dia- logue many esteemed leaders of religious communities in Austria and around the world. In particular, it is my privilege to welcome His Eminence Cardinal Schön- born. Thank you, Your Eminence, for your steadfast and courageous support for dialogue and solidarity here in Austria and around the world. We are very grateful to you for all of the support we get. Allow me to go beyond my formal speech to say that, from the first day I arrived in Vienna to help establish this Centre, I received your full support and prayer. The time you gave me on many occasions facilitated so many opportunities for us, and helped overcome the many difficulties that we faced in building this institution. I am also honoured that our distinguished multireli- gious Board of Directors joins us today. We are fortunate to have all of them here, having travelled from all over the world for this special occasion. In Our Time , or Nostra Aetate , refers to both 2015 and 1965. Half a century ago, the Roman Catholic Church redefined its relationship with all other reli- gions. The influence of that declaration has been felt for decades and has inspired change in our approach to interreligious dialogue. It has built new bridges between religious communities and has continued to make a powerful contribution to public life by improving inter- religious understanding and collaboration. We know that dialogue between followers of differ- ent religions can help to address the challenges facing the world such as violent extremism. I think that we all agree that religion is a central aspect of all human expe- rience and that global dialogue is incomplete without recourse to religious leaders and communities. We need, therefore, to include the wisdom of religious people to promote dialogue as a means of building peace. This particular initiative was launched as part of the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques – the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. His vision included the promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue as a means to achieving peace, coexistence and justice and of overcoming the difficulties facing humanity. The initiative was adopted by the Islamic Summit held in Mecca in 2005. In 2007 the first meeting of its kind was held between the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, and Pope Ben- edict XVI within the framework of international efforts to place the initiative onto the global stage and to obtain international support. It is therefore an especially impor- tant occasion for us today to celebrate the very existence of the initiative. Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, the horrific ter- rorist attacks in Paris and in many other places serve to spread fear and fuel hate. These attacks cannot be justi- fied through any religion, culture, or identity. We cannot allow the support of violence to divide peace-loving people, and we all must affirm that the answer to killing cannot be more killing. We must unite against violence in the name of reli- gion. We all know that the vast majority of believers oppose violence. When we, the followers of all religions, and people of all cultures reject violence in the name of religion we defend our common humanity. The sadness with which we view the recent events in Paris and in other parts of the world makes it very impor- tant for us to combine our efforts and to help refugees and others who need our help. We cannot continue with what is happening, so we must learn from each other. There are so many things that we can say about killing and about violence, but I think that it’s time to use the wisdom of religious people, religious leaders. I believe that they can help everywhere, whether it’s in Syria, Iraq, the Middle East or in Europe. In the face of this violent extremism we can provide the voices of responsible religious leaders and peacemakers to offer up alternatives to ignorance and hatred. Ladies and gentlemen, I look forward to a fruitful dialogue on Nostra Aetate , and to celebrate the ways in which the Declaration enables us to live in peace and cooperation in our time. Thank you very much. NOSTRA AETATE FOR OUR T IME L