Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Zamboanga (Agenzia Fides) – They have been coming together in the name of dialogue and reconciliation for 10 years now, for joint study and sharing, to build a future of peace and brotherhood in the southern Philippines. This is the experience of the “Interfaith Council of Leaders" of Zamboanga, which brings together Christian and Muslim leaders in the southern Philippines, an area occupied by a large Muslim minority, and area plagued by conflicts and rebel movements that have created instability, suffering, and displacement of civilians for years.
As reported to Fides, the council of religious leaders recently celebrated ten years of activity: it was founded in 2000, thanks to the awareness spread by the movement for dialogue named “Silsilah,” which has been active in the region for many years. The Council now welcomes leading Catholics, evangelical Christians, and Muslims, who wish to promote cultural, social, and religious activities in the area, to manifest dialogue and peace.
At the convention celebrated in Zamboanga, in the presence of more than 200 people who came together for the 10th anniversary of the forum, Prof. Randolf David, a professor of sociology at the University of the Philippines, stressed the importance and effectiveness of interfaith dialogue as a tool for mediation and peaceful conflict resolution, referring especially to the reality of Mindanao, the main island of the southern Philippines, as a community that needs to overcome “the narcissism of little differences,” which often leads to opposing blocs.
Jesuit Father Albert Alejo, anthropologist, explained his experience as a consultant to the "Bishop-Ulama Conference," and stated that "the peacemakers must also be enemies of corruption" because, especially in Mindanao, many factors that hinder peace are related to corruption.
For the occasion, the Council's leaders announced the two new coordinators: Ismael B. Abubakar, Jr. (Muslim) and Santiago Navarro (Christian), which will take forward the Council's activities in the coming years. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 19/08/2010)
