PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: info@armenianorthodoxchurch.org
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version: nian.htm
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I LECTURES
AT THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF SHARJAH
On Monday 2 February 2009 His Holiness Aram I delivered a lecture in
American university of Sharjah. The topic of the lecture was "From
Inter-religious dialogue to living together".
Introducing His Holiness, the President of the University Dr. Peter Heat
presented him as an internationally recognized personality in the area of
inter-religious dialogue.
Aram I first referred to the "come-back" of religion as a fact of life. He
then spoke about different perceptions of religion.
Speaking about the importance of dialogue, he said that a credible dialogue
must take into consideration the following.- 1) It must make room for
different perceptions, values and expressions. 2) It must be realistic. 3)
It must be contextual. 4) It must explore ways of transcending differences.
5) It must challenge biased attitudes, face-value judgments and provide
greater knowledge, accurate information. 6) It must avoid syncretistic
approaches, false compromises and exclusivist claims. 7) It must consider
diversity as a complementing rather than a conflicting factor.
Catholicos Aram set the following priorities as an agenda for a serious
dialogue. These are.- 1) promoting spiritual and moral values. 2)
Elaborating a global ethics. 3) Overcoming violence by developing a culture
of non-violence. 4) Combating intolerance. 5) Working for peace with
justice. 6) Acting as agents of reconciliation.
The focus of the lecture was living together as community. His Holiness
outlined the following actions as prerequisite conditions for community
building.- 1) Accepting and respecting our differences. 2) Enhancing common
values that transform co-existence into a meaningful way of living together.
3) Challenging inclusive approaches and fundamentalist tendencies and claims
that jeopardize living together, and enhancing coherence between
self-understanding and interactive understanding. 4) Promoting a quality of
life that rejects alienation and calls for mutual trust. 5) Encouraging
participation in all aspects of community life. 6) Aiming for a form of
integration that preserves specificities fosters commonalities.
In his concluding remarks, referring to the vocation of religion Catholicos
Aram I underscored the following points.- 1) The religions have a moral
responsibility to restore humanity-creation-God relationship based on
responsibility accountability. 2) Religions must emphasize the crucial
importance of the Transcendence in the life of societies. 3) Religions must
defend the sacredness of life by promoting values that protect the integrity
of life. 4) Religions must bring active participation in peace-building.
Real peace is based on justice and respect of human rights. 5) Religions are
called to play a major role in preventive approaches to conflicts, and also
in proactive defense of human rights through education and awareness
building. 6) And finally religions must remind that all mighties are
powerless before the Almighty.
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View the photos here:
tos/Photos356.htm
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The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.