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Dear Partners in Peace,
Religions for Peace is filled with sorrow for the
innocent people killed in France. We cry out in anguish over their blood, which
was shed to terrorize and divide people. We are in prayerful solidarity with
their families and loved ones.
It saddens us unspeakably whenever religion
is twisted and distorted to justify violence. Morally united across all our
diverse religious traditions, we utterly reject and condemn violence committed
in the name of religion. Not only is it profoundly cruel, cowardly and
misguided; it is also a criminal behavior that needs to be addressed by all due
legal means.
Together, we firmly reject the attempts
to polarize and divide our religious communities. Are we to let these cruel and
senseless murders fuel distrust and cycles of violence amongst diverse
religious, cultural and political communities? With a single heart, we answer No!
Rather, we reaffirm---based on 45 years of experience day in
and day out---that the diverse
religious communities working together across the world in Religions
for Peace are committed to taking concrete action together to respect
religious differences, honor human dignity and advance our common good.
In our shock, sorrow and moral outrage,
now is the time for sincere believers of all traditions to further commit to
principled multi-religious collaboration for the common good. Let each
religious community come to the defense of any other community whenever its
members are under attack, slandered or scapegoated. We in Religions for
Peace have found that this approach is a true way for each believer to
honor his or her respective religious tradition. In doing so, we can as diverse
religious believers also address together even the most misguided and hideous
misuses of religions as we work to help build the Peace.
Yours in solidarity,
Dr. William Vendley
Secretary General
