Magyar Egyház, 2002 (81. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2002 / 2. szám
8. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ PEOPLE OF MANY FAITHS REJECT MISUSE OF RELIGION The Geneva Spiritual Appeal arose out of a suggestion that an interfaith service in St. Pierre Cathedral would be an appropriate way to celebrate United Nations Day. The international community is increasingly aware that all humanitarian work has a spiritual basis. Geneva has become the humanitarian capital of the world, with the presence of the headquarters of many organizations that work in this field. These include official bodies such as the UN itself, the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, independent bodies such as the International Red Cross, and, of course, church organizations like WARC and the World Council of Churches. While Geneva is thus a center for humanitarian effort, interfaith contacts are also well established. Interfaith celebrations have been held in St. Pierre Cathedral on many occasions, such as the visits of the Dalai Lama and on a very emotional occasion when a service was held for the people killed when the Swissair flight 111 crashed into the Atlantic off Canada. These occasions are in no way syncretistic, but are based on the simple belief that if God is omniscient, then all prayers will be heard. There are at least 56 conflicts in the world today that have a religious element - all too often exploited by evil politicians who do not see the consequences of their actions - be it in Ireland, Indonesia or India. A text was written. It went through no less than 16 revisions, but the final text was supported enthusiastically by all. The writers came from Protestant, Roman Catholic, Old Catholic and Orthodox traditions as well as the Buddhist, Muslim and Jewish communities. On UN Day 1999, a packed Cathedral saw the people sign the appeal. They were led by Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Sadako Ogata, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, who had all agreed to sign the document in advance. Since then, the text has been signed by many thousands of people in Geneva and beyond. It is available in English and French on the world wide web (www.geneve.ch/appelgeneve) and can be signed online there. It has been sent to many political leaders and the managers of the top 100 international companies. It is being used in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Australia and many other places. It has been supported by the Dalai Lama, and many other influential people. People can keep it for themselves or can send it to political or economic leaders of their choice. In the post cold war world, ethnic conflicts are legion and religion is often involved since it forms part of group identity. The ravages of ethnicity and nationalism with a “religious” tinge are simply the biggest political problem of our time. There are many causes, but many groups cannot cope with a plural world and religious fundamentalism is, alas, a part of this. The Geneva Spiritual Appeal is an effort to bring together people of goodwill of all traditions to combat this evil. William A McComish Dean of St Pierre Cathedral, Geneva “KEEP OUR PROMISE TO CARE FOR CREATION.” Washington, DC - For the first time ever, the Sierra Club and National Council of Churches are teaming up to protect America’s beautiful landscapes, launching TV and newspaper ads calling on Americans to “keep our promise to care for creation.” Evoking religious themes, the ads say Americans ought not to ruin the land we’ve been entrusted to protect. Rather than destroying special landscapes for oil, we can find more energy through new technologies. “People of faith take seriously the biblical mandate to be good stewards of creation, and that means finding smarter, cleaner, safer ways to satisfy our energy needs without damaging the irreplaceable gifts of nature with which our nation has been so blessed,” said the Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches. “Furthermore, conservation is more effective, providing much greater benefits that are more permanent, and in the long run are less costly, than a modest and short-lived increase in oil supply at the price of a ravaged environment. “We don’t need to ruin the land we love to meet America’s energy needs,” said Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club. “When Americans want renewal and inspiration, we sit by a river or hike to a mountaintop. America’s beautiful landscapes are too valuable to dig, drill and destroy - instead, we need an energy policy that is clean and safe. The campaigns convey the message that people of faith have a moral responsibility to educate, organize and advocate for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
