Speech in the Summit of World's Religious Leaders in Moscow

Distinguished heads of religious denominations and delegates to this meeting:

I bring you most cordial greetings from the Orthodox Church of Finland. I am delighted that it has at last been possible for this broad-based, high-level gathering to take place. This marks the opening up of a significant channel for ecumenical cooperation between religions, and I pray that God in his goodness and human love will bless its endeavours.

Various forms of political, ethnic and religious fanaticism during the twentieth century gave rise to the most awful human tragedies. In Europe we were faced with oppression at the hands of both communist and fascist dictatorships, and the civilian victims of the wars that followed the break-up of the former Yugoslavia are still fresh in our memory.

The new millennium has also begun with numerous crises in which policies of violence have been pursued in the guise of ethnic and religious fanaticism. In September 2001 the world was rocked by the terrorist attacks on New York, and the events that have followed have meant that the world's religions have become more closely bound up than ever with conflicts that the experts in geopolitics venture to refer to as confrontations between civilizations.

As religious representatives, we know that the old religions of the world do not cause rifts between civilizations but help to eliminate them. We also know that one can only successfully resist hatred and violence by speaking and acting in defence of ordinary people and the restoration of peace. Amidst all the confusion, the dialogue between religions should set out by asking the right questions. It is up to the religions together to ask the right questions, so that the politicians, for their part, can work on finding the answers.

Since the shortest and most central definition of God in the Christian faith is that "God is Love", we should be prepared to encourage and guide people in religious tolerance, in loving their neighbours regardless of religious, political or ethnic differences, and should challenge the politicians to support such a goal.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.