RELIGIONS MUST BECOME THE MORAL VOICE OF SOCIETY, HIS HOLINESS ARAM I CONSIDERS

Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 17 2006

"The world is on the edge of moral collapse. If things go unchanged,
moral collapse will bring about economic, political and ecological
collapse. Religion is a source of moral values. By becoming the moral
voice of the world, religions may work together to save humanity
from new crises", said His Holiness in his closing remarks to the
inter-religious conference, taking place at the Armenian Catholicosate
of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon.

The conference, which was the first of its kind and was initiated by
His Holiness Aram I, brought together representatives of religions
of the Middle East and Asia in order to learn more about each other.

"The knowledge gained through dialogue about each other will generate
mutual understanding and respect and will pave the way towards mutual
trust", said Aram I and reminded that "we have our differences and we
must remain faithful to our roots, identities, values and traditions;
at the same time, we must accept each other the way we are".

Considering their common values a solid basis for the religions to
act together, Aram I emphasized particularly the "bridge-building"
role of religions in a world characterized by "extremes, tensions and
polarizations". He said that "because political consensus is always
provisional, societies need bridges that are sustained by faith,
spirituality and moral values".

Referring to the theme of the conference, "Recommitment to
Spirituality", His Holiness warned of "false spiritualities, which
are establishing their dominance in our societies", and called for a
spirituality "that combats the evil forces and empowers human beings
by the presence of Transcendence."