Witnesses of Mercy for Peace and Reconciliation

88 hardest places, the places where there is conflict, where people are suffering. We have seen mercy in Syria, Iraq, Myanmar, the Central African Republic and so many different parts of the world. If mercy can be exercised in those places, then we can do our part to reach the grass roots and to change lifestyles. Please remember, if we allow accusations to influ- ence us, we will not survive. I will never forget how we started this project. The Dialogue Centre was an idea agreed between the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Pope Emeritus. Initially it was meant to build a bridge between Islam and Christianity and to open a new page. The idea was welcomed by so many that the concept was expanded to include other religions and cultures, which is a fantastic development. That would never have occurred if we had given in to hopelessness and listened to the voices that said: “No, I want you to change before I accept you. I want you to change your skin colour before I accept you.” If we had made that deadly mistake, we would have gone nowhere. Today, we all stand by that decision although, sadly, anyone can be convinced to discard hope and to embrace violence and prejudice. But, this symposium is a living sign of hope that in all of our diversity we can come together and cele- brate each other, celebrate all of those essential values we share, celebrate our common humanity, and celebrate the miracle of mercy. I believe that we should celebrate the success of this conference. For our part at KAICIID, we promise that we will continue and do whatever it takes to establish and build peace all over the world. Allow me to thank our Council of Parties – Austria, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and our Founding Observer, the Holy See – for supporting KAICIID. I am grateful to the staff of this university and our KAICIID staff. We are grateful also to the attending media, and we ask them to help us, because they have the power to carry this message all over the world. It is a special honour to express our gratitude to Cardinal Tauran who offered us all such encouraging words. I especially wish to thank HE Bishop Ayuso and everyone within the Pontifical Council for their support. Finally, it is a joy to offer a small surprise to our friends from Syria. Martin Temres celebrated his birth- day yesterday and, with all of us gathered here, I would like to wish him once again a very happy birthday, as well as to his lovely wife, Caroline Hazcour. We wish you both a good life together at last. After the trials you have both endured and the great mercy that you have shown to those criminals, the kidnappers, who had caused you such great pain and suffering, we wish to express to you our admiration and our greatest respect. And when we celebrate your birthday, we want you to know that Christians and Muslims are broth- ers and sisters and that they can live together and help each other. We celebrate your safe return to your family, Martin, and wish that God blesses you and Caroline and all of your family. Thank you all very much. A delighted Martin Temres being presented with a birthday cake by HE Faisal Bin Muaammar at the closing ceremony CONCLUDING WORDS