CLERICS CONCERNED ABOUT WORLD DEVIATION FROM RELIGIOUS VALUES
Yelena Dorofeyeva, Olga Kostromina

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
July 4, 2006 Tuesday

Delegates to the World Religious Summit are concerned about the modern
world’s deviation from religious values. They think this may lead to
degradation of mankind.

Ethnic and cultural tensions and conflicts threaten mankind, said
Cardinal Walter Kasper. Secularism, especially that in the Western
world, is the main reason for weaker morals, he added. At the same
time, the cardinal stressed the danger of attempts to misuse religion
as a pretext for hatred and murder.

U.S. rabbi Arthur Schneier called for promoting public cooperation
through inter-religious dialog. He thinks that Judaists, Christians,
Muslims and Buddhists must help world leaders to fight intolerance.

Politicians should not treat with contempt the role of religions in
their country, the rabbi said. In his opinion, religion can make a
weighty contribution to the public development.

Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Iliya II said that politicians
"should more actively use the religious factor in the globalization
epoch." "Church and religious leaders may play a serious role in the
solution of such problems as terrorism, national conflicts, refugees,
drug addition and poverty," he said. In some countries clerics have
such powers, he said.

Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin II spoke of the dangerous public
alienation from religious values. He thinks that this alienation is
a cause of cloning and euthanasia.

A Hindu cleric, Sri S.T. Swamiji, said they must recognize the
diversity of the world bestowed by Lord, and help other people accept
this world as it is.

Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassun reminded delegates of the
high mission of human beings. He said that religions are bound to
care for natural resources and people created after the image and
likeness of God.