Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Common Citizenship

[ 27 ] — RELIGIOUS LEADERS’ PLATFORM — However, the bond between these covenants is symbiotic so that “the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testa- ment, and the New Testament is hidden in the Old”. 3 But these dark pages must be interpreted in the context of sal- vation, which we find in the texts of the Old Testament. We read at the beginning of the letter to the Hebrews: “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ances- tors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word.” (Heb. 1:1–3 ). This means that heeding the words of God, in the his- tory of the ancient people prior to Christ, requires careful reading. These people lived in environments that tainted religiosity with the effects of the conflicts of neighbouring religions. It was necessary through the words of the prophets to walk the people through a process of slow maturation, until a full, newmaturity was reached in the person of Jesus Christ. So the culture of Christ was delivered to his church to be spread among the peoples. Christianity never accepted the rejection of the sacred books of theOldTestament, and never considered that theGod of that older revelation contradicted the tablets of Jesus Christ. The newChristianity cannot be founded on denying the above. We are at a time when violence is practiced in the name of God and religion, despite this being against the very image and nature of God. In contemporary society, many people are under the misconception that monotheistic religions are inherently divisive because they have one god, who is jealous by nature and accepts no other god beside him (viz. Arthur Schopenhauer). In contrast, they believe pagan gods, are much more tolerant by nature and more likely to encourage diversity.Therefore modern culture calls for a “secularization of society” in order to put an end to violence and foster peace. These misconceptions and negative opinions about reli- gion stem from relativism, and the requirements of liberal democracy. Any behaviour that is linked to a comprehensive and absolute reality, like any religion, is considered a threat to civil peace. History, however, reminds us of the violence practiced by the Selenian Hellenic kingdom against the Maccabees and the violent persecution of Christians by the pagan Roman empire over the first three centuries of Christian history. What, then, can we say about the new idolatry and systems today if they do not allow freedom of individual belief? Today, political violence, fuelled by secularization, athe- ism, political ambition and economic strategies, is spreading. We see this violence in recent warfare, including those wars that have raged across the Middle East, the supply and trade of weapons, and the use of terrorist groups and mercenaries. Now is an opportune time for action—what is known in Greek as Kairos — a real opportunity for the spirit, which gives us hope and provides the possibility for a better future. This future is built by the Christian faith on three basic tenets: The Oneness and Trinity of God: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; the incarnation of the Son Jesus Christ, his pain and death for the redemption and justification of man; and the revelation of the Holy Spirit leading to the knowledge of the whole truth. In light of this opportunity, the Church has turned the page of religious violence and planted a seed capable of producing fruit in us to renounce violence in the name of God, and stop the propagation of hatred, political racism and phobia of Islam. 4 The “opportunity of the soul” is also found in the religion of Islam, which has had its image and essence distorted by terrorist organizations practicing violence and instilling terror in the name of God. Muslims are now taking advan- tage of this opportune time for action, declaring that Islam condones those who practice violence and terrorism in the name of God and the Islamic religion. The Marrakesh Declaration on the Rights of Religious Minorities in the Muslim World was issued on January 27, 2016, on the occasion of the 1,400th anniversary of the Al Madina newspaper. At the conclusion of the meeting, which convened some 300 Muslim scholars frommore than 120 countries, participants affirmed that: “crimes that are committed in the name of Islam and its legitimacy against religious minorities, killing, enslavement, displacement, intimidation and abuse of dignity are a slander against the Almighty and the Messenger of Mercy and the iniquities of Religious violence has always been overpowered by love. From this point of view there is no justification for violence