The 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions will be held in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan.The congress will be attended by 130 international delegations from 60 countries.The representatives of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Shintoism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism and other religions will participate in the congress.The Head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia, Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, and the delegations of leading religious and international organizations from the United States, Europe, and Asia plan to attend the Congress.More than 100 international media representatives accredited for the event.The topic of the upcoming Congress was determined at the XIX session of the Secretariat of the Congress “The role of leaders of world and traditional religions in the spiritual and social development of mankind in the post-pandemic period.”
Preparations for the Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, to be held on September 14-15, 2022 have entered the final stretch.
The theme of the current Congress is designated as “The role of leaders of world and traditional faiths in the socio-spiritual development of mankind in the post-pandemic period.” Within its framework, four panel sessions will be organized, focusing on questions on the role of religions in strengthening spiritual and moral values, education and religious studies in promoting peaceful coexistence of religions, countering extremism, radicalism and terrorism, especially on religious grounds, as well as the contribution of women to the well-being and sustainable development of society.
Initially, the religious summit was planned to be held in 2021, but this was prevented by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, despite the tense situation in the world, the Kazakh side does not intend to abandon the event. Moreover, there is reason to believe that Kazakhstan, in continuation of its peacekeeping mission, will make every effort to resolve, if not political, then at least religious differences between countries.
BREAK YOUR LINE!
However, the departure from the religious agenda in favor of solving global problems at the Congress is not new for a long time. It is worth remembering from the outset that this forum was first convened in 2003, when the global situation, taking into account the surge of terrorism, as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, also left much to be desired. However, contrary to these trends, the first Congress was initiated, organized, and, in the future, became actually traditional. At the same table, in the Palace of Peace and Accord in the Kazakh capital, representatives of different peoples, temples and faiths gathered. And they spoke here not only about spiritual ideals.
The current agenda of the Congress is also extremely relevant. These are destructive climate change, and a mutating virus that has caused both medical and economic damage to many states, and, of course, geopolitical security issues that have recently overshadowed even the COVID pandemic. That is, the humanitarian policy of the religious summit remains the same, and it is also aimed at ensuring interethnic and interfaith harmony.
“This is not a fashion event, but an organic and integral part of the development model of the modern world,” the forum organizers say. – The Congress of World Religious Leaders has become a real mediator in resolving disputes and problems. The task of spiritual leaders is to give people the right system of moral and ethical coordinates in a world where a pandemic is raging, the climate is changing, there is an arms race and a struggle for resources.
Against the background of the global growth of xenophobia, including of a religious nature, the holding of such an event by Kazakhstan looks at least a challenge for the radically minded part of modern society. The activities of the summit are aimed at creating international stability and security, as well as at opposing the use of religion for aggressive political purposes. This means that Kazakhstan, as before, is pursuing its line of peacekeeping policy, that is, peace for all. Regardless of religion.
HOW IT WAS
The Republic of Kazakhstan itself is an objective example of inter ethnic and interfaith harmony – 130 ethnic groups and 18 confessions peacefully coexist side by side in the country.
“Kazakhstan serves as an example of tolerance and peace among peoples, which is why the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions is so important and “doomed” to success,” Chief Rabbi of Nur-Sultan Shmuel Karnaukh said the other day. “Kazakhstan shows by its example how people of different views, ideologies live in peace, harmony and mutual respect.
Today’s events taking place in the world, according to the rabbi, once again demonstrate that any carelessly spoken word of politicians can serve as a trigger for a catastrophe of global significance.
«And when leaders of different religions and denominations sit at one common table,» he specified, «they talk about peace and mutual respect, despite different ideologies, this produces a positive resonance throughout the world.
The 1-st Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held in September 2003, initially became an exceptional event – before that, such a large-scale dialogue between religious leaders had not been held. This initiative found its response in the world and clearly proved that it is an effective tool both for resolving disputes and disagreements, and for countering terror and religious extremism. That summit ended with the adoption of a common declaration, in which spiritual leaders announced joint actions to ensure harmony and stability in societies, as the basis for a harmonious world in the future.
Gradually, the forum acquired a regular basis, began to be held every three years, and thus grew into a multilateral platform for solving systemic problems.
At the II Congress, the participants adopted a document, «Principles of Interreligious Dialogue», as a mechanism for further joint work, and a corresponding declaration calling on representatives of all religions and ethnic groups to prevent conflicts based on cultural and religious differences. The III Congress was dedicated to the issues of tolerance and maintaining the dialogue of religions and civilizations. The Council of Religious Leaders was also created here, whose task was to cooperate with secular international organizations. During the work of the IV Congress, the participants introduced an Internet resource within the framework of a single electronic portal G-Global, dedicated to the formation and strengthening of global tolerance and trust. The 5th Congress was devoted to the issues of military conflicts, with a call to the participating parties to stop clashes and, through negotiations, develop agreements to end violence and protect civilians. The VI Congress has become a platform for appealing to the world community, people and states with an appeal for peace and security.
POP’S MEETINGS
What will be unique about the current 7th Congress? First of all, the fact that Pope Francis I will be present as an honored guest and participant. This is the first visit of the current Pope to Kazakhstan. (Prior to this, only Pope John Paul II visited the republic in 2001) Also, according to the Secretariat of the Congress, the visit of the Supreme Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III and a number of other heads of religious confessions and international organizations of different states. In addition, UN Secretary-General António Guterres is also expected to make a video message at the Congress. In a word, taking into account the current international situation, the event is acquiring a global scale and a high level.
«And, of course, the Congress cannot but touch upon all the issues that concern people, including in the context of the political situation, which remains difficult today,» said the Chairman of the Board of the N. Nazarbayev Center for the Development of Interfaith and intercivilizational dialogue Bulat Sarsenbaev. Today we are witnessing a conflict between Ukraine and Russia, sanctions that apply to other countries as well. I think that all these questions will be raised not only at the Congress itself, but also on the sidelines and within the framework of bilateral meetings.
I would like to consider the issue of bilateral meetings in more detail. The media has already leaked information about a possible meeting in Nur-Sultan of Francis and Cyril, and neither the Vatican nor the Moscow Patriarchate deny this information, although they do not officially support it.
Considering that the last time a similar meeting of the heads of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches took place in 2016 in Cuba (for the first time in more than 500 years!), its significance and influence can hardly be underestimated, especially against the backdrop of current events. The neutral Kazakhstani territory was also chosen very well – in a number of Western countries, the name of Patriarch Kirill was included in the sanctions lists due to the support of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church for the special military operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. The meeting of the Pope and the Patriarch was planned for the summer in Jerusalem, however, due to a number of reasons, it had to be postponed.
«I hope to meet him (Kirill – ed.) in Kazakhstan in September,» Francis said then in media comments. «I hope I can greet him and have a little conversation with him as a pastor.
Unlike the Russian «colleague», the head of the Vatican adheres to a clear peacekeeping position.
«We are shepherds of one people of God,» the Pope has repeatedly stated. “That is why we must look for ways of reconciliation and a ceasefire.
If such a meeting (the second one in the last thousand years!) takes place, and, moreover, turns out to be productive and fruitful, it has every chance of positively influencing the geopolitical situation in the world.
It should be objectively recognized that the peacekeeping position of Kazakhstan, its authority at the international level and the positive image of a sovereign, peace-loving state, made it possible to create an effective dialogue platform, whose activities are aimed at maintaining inter ethnic and interfaith stability. How much of this potential is enough to normalize the current situation and reduce the destructive impact of global geopolitical crises will be shown by the 7th Congress.
Author Hasan Shabbir Rana is an Pakistan journalist based in Islamabad, where he works as Resident Editor for the London based newspaper The Central Asia. He is specialized in covering news for Central Asian Countries. He is a contributor for many newspapers and reviews. He wrote essays on various religious information topics.
