“The limitless giant of globalisation needs a soul,” but, noticed Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio at the International Meeting in Münster, at the start of the event, “often, religions have not grasped how globalisation is an adventure for both spirit and faith.” Fear has spread instead. The peoples demand reassurance and find it in the loud rhetoric of the clashing or in aggressive leaders. The identification of an enemy gives reassurance. New walls rise for fear of the other. This is the current contradiction: a unified world yet so divided. Division as a reaction to unification.
Efforts for a spiritual unification must be undertaken. From the start of the road of the Spirit of Assisi we took the responsibility to continue the dialogue among religions. We did it without power, but with the tenacity not to lose touch with any world”, together with many friends “we hope to meet again: the Bishops of Aleppo Mar Gregorios Ibrahim and Paul Yazigi, kidnapped in Syria four year ago supposedly during a peace mission.”
For Riccardi dialogue is the essential structure of many religions” which are “in touch with the land and among the houses: the synagogue, the church, the mosque, the temple, and other sacred places. This is why if one wants to humiliate the peoples violence on women and destruction of sacred places are being used.”
Religions have a common vision on humanity and remind us that there is no safe future for the ones if others are neglected, for the rich among many poor.
The hatred makers have understood the usefulness of religions by using them to fuel the culture of the enemy and terrorism. Terroristic ideologies are a terrible instrument held in the hands of those who are violent, able to carry great sorrow, although they will never win.”
For the religions “violence and war are not sacred. Only peace is sacred. To make it happen, it needs working daily like craftsmen, opening routes, connecting everyone into a fabric of dialogue and cooperation. Never isolating anyone.” Spiritual streams change history and the path of peace to walk is “cooperation in the fight against poverty”.
